It Takes Time
by scarletcanary
Summary: It's Thanksgiving 2019 and Ava has a ring burning a hole in her pocket, but after a night of fun Sara finds out she's pregnant. Now they must figure out how a baby would fit into there messy lives. All while the Bureau and the Legends are pulling them in two different directions.
1. Preface

November 28, 2019.

Ava laughed at the whipped cream on Nate's nose. He'd scooped up a spoon full of pumpkin pie, then swirled a mountain of whipped cream on top of it. As he took a bite, the overflow of cream ended up on his nose. The sight caused Ava and the rest of the Legends to burst into laughter.

"My turn, my turn," little Ronnie said, crawling over his grandmother, who grabbed his hips and settled him on her lap. He had grown up in the past few years and could run circles around all of them. He looked more and more like his grandfather each day.

"Okay bud," Nate said, tipping the bottle upside down.

They all watched as Ronnie open his mouth as Nate swirled the cream on his tongue, going a little overboard. When he was finished, he pulled back and Ronnie immediately snapped his mouth shut. The overflow of cream tipped out of his lips and dropped to the floor.

"Oh dear," Clarissa said, reaching down to swipe up the cream with her napkin.

"Just leave it, it's fine," Sara said, waving Clarissa off with one hand while the other held baby Martina. "Lil Gideon can get it."

Sure enough, the small cleaning robot, not unlike a Roomba, buzzed over to them and picked up the cream, leaving the floor fresh and clean.

"Can Martina have some?" Ronnie asked holding the bottle out to Karen.

"Not yet sweetie," Karen replied. Jax's wife and a Research Engineer at S.T.A.R. Labs, Karen gazed down at Martina in Sara's arms, her soft black skin glowing in the bright overhead lights. "She's a little too young for food."

She and Sara had matching smiles, completely enraptured in the baby before them. Ava watched them talk to her with exaggerated faces, while the three month old gummed on her hand and waved her other arm at them.

"Think I smell something," Sara said, her eyebrows coming together as Martina let out a wail.

"She definitely needs changing," Karen said, scrunching up her nose and taking Martina from Sara's arms.

"I could do that," Sara and Jax said, at the same time.

Karen chuckled, "I'm not having my hostess changing a dirty diaper. My husband, however, has not changed nearly enough."

She handed Martina over to Jax, who was happy to take her. He got up and grabbed the baby bag. Martina's cries turned to whimpers as he continued to bounce her in his arms and swing back and forth.

"I change more than you," he teased, leaning down to press a kiss to Karen's head.

The majority of the people at the table laughed with the couple's easy banter, and Ava looked around at them. It had been a while since they had the whole crew and extended family together. Zari and Charlie were sitting together across from Mick, and Lisa. Nate was talking to Alaska, who gestured wildly with her whole body. Constantine and Gary were sitting next to her being grossly adorable and talking with Nora, Ray, Lily and her husband. She was happy they could make it for Thanksgiving this year. Even if they were only enticed by the idea of having the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson's pecan pie, in Rory and Lisa's case.

Sara caught her eye from across the table and looked up to Ava's ridiculous turkey hat. The bird, which looked more like a child's stuffed animal than a hat, sat upon her head. The result of a lost bet between the two of them and a little holiday fun. Sara had that look in her eyes, one of burning passion and lust, definitely not appropriate for a table full of family and friends.

Sara's been giving her that look a lot recently, no more so than usual, as their active sex life kept them up at night. Ava caught Earth two's Dinah Laurel Lance rolling her eyes at them as she got out of her seat next to her girlfriend Dinah Drake.

"Ava?" Dinah asked, with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "Would you show me where I can get more whipped cream?"

Although Dinah and Sara's relationship had improved over the years following Quentin's death, Dinah remained wary of Ava.

"Sure," she said.

Ava got up from her seat and walked over to the food fabricator, which was out of everyone's line of sight. She programmed the fabricator for two bottles of whipped cream, knowing that they will use them all in due time. Dinah leaned against the counter of the island with that kind of nonchalance she always carried.

"I saw that look Sara was giving you," Dinah said. "Are you two going to sneak off soon?"

"Not if you don't want us to," Ava replied. "I know you and Sara don't always get a lot of time together, so if you want to spend some more time with her just ask."

Dinah shrugged. "I care if you're gonna propose or not. You asked me to help you pick out a ring months ago. If you're having second thoughts about this, then you shouldn't keep it in your room."

"I'm going to propose," Ava insisted. "I just haven't found the right time."

That was partially true- she wanted to propose, but she and Sara were happy. What if Sara didn't want to marry her? What if she ruined what have by asking? It was a serious step in their relationship and Sara didn't even live with her full time. Although she spent most of her nights at Ava's, they hadn't officially moved in together, and that made Ava second guess her proposal.

"Then do it tonight, take her to your room and propose to her right now," Dinah insisted.

"It's not right," Ava said. "I want it to be perfect and I want to make sure Sara's ready."

"Do it or throw the ring away, but whatever you do…" she said, then grabbed Ava's arm and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Just know that Sara loves you."

"I thought you were going to threaten me," Ava admitted.

"Yeah well, I might. If you break Sara's heart." Dinah teased.

"I promise you, I love Sara," Ava said.

"I know," Dinah said giving her a rare genuine smile. "Anyway, I know you won't do something stupid like get her pregnant."

Dinah laughed, and she patted Ava on the shoulder as she continued, saying, "You two are so not ready for kids."

Ava laughed as well and she agreed with Dinah. She and Sara had discussed the option of starting a family a while ago, but they both agreed that they weren't quite ready yet. However, as she looked over at Sara who was cooing over Marina in Jax's arms, she wondered if Sara was reconsidering her decision. Sara had been offering to babysit for them quite often, and she had provided a welcome night off for the new parents last weekend.

The ding of the fabricator brought her out of her thoughts.

"Are you two going to spend the night?" Ava asked as she picked up the can and handed it to Dinah.

"Probably, Sara mentioned that one of the rooms was free. So don't worry about stealing her away."

"Sara's the one who's going to be stealing me away."

"Yeah," Dinah said as she gave Ava's arm a little pat before she strolled back to her seat with the can of whipped cream.

Ava stayed and waited for Gideon to finish the last bottle before joining her. The table is full of smiling faces and happy Legends, but things seemed to be tapering off.

Sara caught her eye as she sat down across from her at the table and gave her wink. She still had that lustful look in her eye. Sara got up from her chair and walked over to Jax, giving him a kiss and whispering something in his ear. It must have been a goodbye, because Jax held up Martina's tiny arm, waving it to Sara as she walked over to her sister. After saying goodbye to the Dinahs', she walked away from the table. She paused in the doorway before turning around to stare at Ava. She crooked her finger at her before she disappeared around the corner of the hall.

Ava blushed as she bid them all good night, they must surely know why they're leaving a little early, before following Sara down the hall. She didn't get very far before Sara caught her and pinned her against the wall, placing her mouth on Ava's.

The kiss is hot, and she can feel Sara's lust seep in through her tongue. Sara's lips leave Ava's as she kissed her neck and made her way up Ava's jaw.

"Sara," Ava said. "We shouldn't be doing this here. Someone could catch uh..."

Her sentence gave way to a moan as Sara's lips met her ear and her hands untucked Ava's shirt, running up her back.

"You look so good in that hat," Sara said hot and heavy. "I could just eat. you. up."

She emphasizes her words by biting down on Ava's ear. Causing her to moan and dissolving into Sara's hands.

She ran her hands down Ava's back, and Sara pulled away from her. Sara touched her elbow and drifted her hand down to grab her hand. She tugged Ava along to their bedroom. Sara's wolf grin never left her face, and Ava was happy to be little red riding hood about to be all gobbled up.

* * *

December 19, 2019.

Sara paced the length of her room munching on a cracker, the bag in her other hand as she tried to keep the nausea at bay. This couldn't be happening, it was literally impossible. But since she had been reborn five years ago her period had been like clockwork. Between that and the nausea, the fatigue, her sore breasts, and the fact that she had to pee every five minutes, she knew. She just had to take the test and confirm it.

"Gideon, do you have a pregnancy test?"

"I do if you'd like one Captain Lance. You could also go to the med bay, but with my monitoring system, I can confirm that you are in fact pregnant."

"You knew," Sara sighed sitting down on her bed. "You knew the toy would get me pregnant. When we used it on Thanksgiving, I was ovulating and you tried to warn us. I'm sorry Gideon. I should have listened to you."

"Well I would like to say, I told you so," she quipped, then became serious. "Not only was the toy from the future, but I also detected some magical element to it as well."

Sara laughed, falling to lie on her bed and staring up at the ceiling where she knew Gideon's processor lived. It was all too perfect. The toy was completely realistic and was one of the only futuristic technology that they had, having picked it up at a sex store in 2332 while on an undercover stakeout for a wizard with a stolen Phoenix. The Sperm Whale it was called, worked for people with vaginas in all areas below the belt. At least, that was what the box had said.

"Fuck," she swore. Sara picked up her head and looked down at her belly. "Sorry, Kiddo."

Sara placed her hand down on her belly. She was pregnant. The reality hadn't quite set in.

"Gideon, can you just give me a pregnancy test? I want to be sure."

"Of course Captain Lance," Gideon said, for once in her life, she took pity on her. "There is one in the fabricator in your bathroom."

Sara slowly got up, aware of how nauseous it made her. Something it looked like she would have to get used to.

She didn't have to keep it. Ava would understand, and she thought about it as she walked to the bathroom. Sara picked up the test Gideon had made for her, box and all. She knew how to take one, but they had always been negative.

She pulled down her pants, held the stick at an angle, and peed on it. After she was done, she put the cap on the stick, set the timer on her phone, and waited. Sara thought about the baby again. She realized that she was ready, she wanted this. She was ready financially and emotionally, she had even thought about asking Ava to start a family. Watching Jax become a parent and the moment she held baby Martina, looking into her eyes, she knew, she was ready.

But was Ava? Ava didn't even want to marry her. Sara had found the ring in Ava's pocket a month ago. She was so excited, but by the end of the night, Ava hadn't asked her. Sara lay awake that night, watching Ava sleep and wondering why she didn't propose, but she waited. As the day turned into weeks and after a month had gone by, she wondered how long Ava had been carrying it around before she found it.

The time went off and Sara looked at a stick; It was positive. Sara found herself smiling. She wanted this, but Ava? Sara unlocked her phone and texted her, 'I'm pregnant.' Well, now she was about to find out.

* * *

 **PG-13 I get one well placed fuck.**


	2. Just for the Three of Us

**I am so happy to be posting this, back in October soon after I posted the last chapter tragedy affected me and my family. My writing took the brunt of it but I hid it well on Tumblr. I'm back now and doing better and you guys will be happy to know that I am in the finishing stages of editing the next chapter and it will be up next month.**

 **Special thanks to adacanary and red-opti for beta reading this Fic for me.**

* * *

December 19th, 2019.

"I have a few days off," Ava said, pressing a kiss to Sara's forehead. "Apparently some of my vacation days are about to expire at the end of the year."

The metal floor of Sara's bathroom where they were sitting was surprisingly warm. The only room with a private bathroom, it was only a sink, toilet, and shower, but it was spacious. Ava was able to stretch out her legs as Sara sat sideways on her lap, with her head tucked under her chin.

"Don't you get a few weeks off, for the holidays?" Sara asked, turning her head to look up at Ava.

"Only the 24th through the 26th, and then the 31st and the 1st," Ava replied looking down at her.

"That sucks."

"Yeah well, time and magic don't abide by Christian holidays or New Years."

Sara hummed growing quiet, a rarity for her.

"So what do you say?" Ava asked again.

"To what?" Sara asked.

"To having some time off? We could spend the week at my place and figure all this out..." Ava said, exaggerating with her free hand.

"What's there to figure out? I'm pregnant." Sara shrugged.

"Well there's the logistics and stuff, we need an OB-GYN and you're going to have lots of appointments. We need a parenting style, and baby things like a crib and diapers and clothes and blankets, and you need prenatal vitamins and good diet and rest, and we're going to need to move in and..."

"Ava, slow down," Sara said. She turned around to face Ava and threaded her legs around her hips as Ava pulled her close.

"Relax, we have months to figure it all out, okay. Breathe baby, breathe." She had a small amused smile on her lips, as she took Ava's face between her hands.

Ava smiled too; Sara could always read her so well. Ava leaned forward and pressed another kiss to her lips. She took a breath, breathing her in, Sara smelled like the metal of the Waverider, of the lavender soap she used, and of a scent that was only hers. For all her worth, Ava couldn't describe it.

"But you're probably right, I don't want to tell the team right away, and we should find a doctor," Sara said, bringing her back.

"Probably right?" Ava teased, slowly raising her eyebrow.

Sara simply raised her eyebrows in return. They faced off for a moment before Ava snuck her hands up from Sara's hips and pounced on her sides. Sara shrieked with laughter and squirmed in Ava's lap until she retaliated with her hands under Ava's arms. Ava squirmed trying to get away as her laughter joined Sara's.

"Okay, okay stop!" Sara said as she started to hiccup.

Ava pulled away and their laughter died down.

"Do you want some water?" Ava asked as Sara hiccuped again.

Sara shook her head and shuffled off of Ava's lap. Ava immediately got up and offered her hand to Sara. She pulled Sara up, but Sara staggered and Ava caught her waist.

"Are you okay, are you dizzy?" Ava asked, her face twisting in concern.

Sara took a deep breath and gave her a half smile, patting her cheek. "Yeah, but it's gone and so are the hiccups."

Sara walked out of the bathroom to grab her duffel bag from the cabinet in her room, leaving Ava to stand in the doorway.

"Ava, please, relax," Sara insisted when she turned back to see Ava's look of concern.

Ava dutifully followed her and sat on the bed. "I'm allowed to worry, and I don't want to do anything that makes you ill."

"You didn't, I think it's just how it is. I've had to be careful with any sudden movements in the past few days," Sara said as she collected a few things.

Ava frowned and Sara could see her thoughts going a mile a minute. Sara placed her hands on either side of Ava's cheeks.

"Deep breaths, remember," she said gently.

"I'm just worried."

"I know, but you can't worry about everything. It will drive us both crazy. What's one thing you can do right now?" Sara suggested, knowing that it would help ease Ava's anxiety.

"I don't know," Ava admitted.

"Well, why don't you go home and clean or get started on dinner? I'll gather the team and let them know I will be gone for a couple days."

Ava looked reluctant to leave so Sara added, "You can come back in a few minutes and pick me up if you want. I just think that the look on your face will worry the others."

"Okay, you're probably right," Ava replied as she got off the bed.

Sara smiled and reached forward to catch her hand and pull her in for a kiss. Ava relaxed into her lips as Sara drew comfort from her arms as she held her close. Sara pulled back but gave her one last peck before they parted.

"Now go," Sara said, untangling herself from Ava and going over to her dresser. She busied herself by pulling out a few pairs of panties, but when she turned around Ava was still hovering.

"Go!" Sara insisted, swatting her with a blue pair.

"Okay, okay," Ava said, holding up her hands before she programmed her Time Courier. Sara smiled as Ava took one last look at her before stepping into her apartment.

* * *

"I'm sure you guys can handle it," Sara said, as she grabbed her favorite pair of jeans from her dresser and put them in the duffle on her bed. She figured she'd only need a few pairs of things, as she had a drawer at Ava's that could suffice.

"I'm glad you have complete confidence in us," Behrad said, with sarcasm from where he leaned against her doorway.

"You'll be lucky if you return to a ship that's not on fire," Nora said, from where she stood next to him, earning a laugh from everyone else.

"Or worse, the bottom of the ocean," Charlie added.

"Don't joke," Nate said. "That actually happened once."

"Ignore them," Ray said. "We'll all make sure everything goes smoothly while you're gone."

"Yeah," Zari said. "You deserve some time off, and we can handle anything that comes our way."

Nate and Ray fist bumped as Sara zipped up her duffle bag. She shouldn't worry, but given her team's history they will probably end up needing her sooner rather than later. However, she needed this time with Ava; she was right, they had some big decisions to make.

"As much as I appreciate your help, Nate, I want you at the Bureau. I trust Rip but..."

"You want a second pair of hands smoothing things over this week," Nate said, making the motion with his hand.

"Yes," Sara said, zipping up her bag. "I don't want Ava to have to go in for any reason this week."

"Hey Boss, what are you doing?" Mick said as he stopped outside her door, having been drawn to the commotion.

"Sara's going away for the week with her girlfriend," Zari teased.

"Ahh," Mick said drawing out the syllable. "You and Pantsuit are gonna..."

"Yes," Sara said cutting him off. "So I can't believe I'm saying this but, Ray, you're in charge."

"Yes," Ray cheered. "Don't worry Sara. I'll keep the ship in tip top shape."

He looked so excited to have the opportunity to prove himself, and he would probably do his best to fix whatever mess they got into.

"Or die trying," Nora quipped, but the smile on her face betrayed her love for Ray. They certainly weren't your typical couple, but they fit together like two sides of a coin.

"I know you will, Ray. I trust you." She wasn't lying. Ray had gotten better at handling the Legends pretty well, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

"I know you'll probably still worry about us, but try to enjoy your time with Ava," Zari said.

"Thanks, I will," Sara said, walking up to her and putting a hand on Zari's arm. "Can you help out too, please? I know the others will listen to you."

"Of course," Zari said patting her hand.

Sara moved away and starting the round of goodbyes, as they all filtered out and went back to their usual afternoon activities.

"Rory."

"Yeah, Boss."

"Keep an eye on things for me and please keep out of trouble."

"Everything okay?," he asked, showing his concern for her, with his eyebrows knitted together.

"Yeah, Ava and I just need this week to figure something out. I'll tell you later, I promise," she said.

He gave her a two finger salute and walked away, leaving only Nora. Her face didn't display her emotions, but she peeked back down the hall before she stepped closer to Sara. Her arms were crossed and she reached out with one hand to Sara's lower abdomen. Sara had come to know Nora very well in the past year since the Bureau had released her into the Legends' custody. Once they had gotten past everything, they had become quite close.

"How did you find out?" Sara asked as Nora placed her hand over Sara's jeans.

"I was meditating and felt something different with you so I investigated," Nora explained, with a shrug.

Sara nodded, not quite understanding the magic. She reached down and squeezed Nora's hand, giving her a smile that Nora returned.

"It's just a bit of extra energy," Nora explained. "Which you're low on, btw."

Sara smiled. It's things like that, that reminded her Nora and Zari were technically younger than her.

"Can you keep this between us? I'd hate to ask you to keep this from Ray, but I don't want them to know just yet."

"Of course, besides, it's not my secret."

"Thank you."

Nora looked at their hands. "Its energy is like yours."

"Which means that this child is bound to be trouble," Sara said, with a laugh at the thought of a little girl running around the Waverider getting into things she shouldn't. "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Not yet, and I won't check if you don't want me to," Nora said, with a certain softness she rarely displayed. Like Ray, she put up a mask, but where his was goofy kindness hers was a hard shell of sarcasm and anger. She chose to reveal herself more and more to them as she grew comfortable aboard the ship.

"Please don't, at least not for now," Sara said, inclined to the idea of a surprise, not that it would change anything in her mind.

Nora just nodded. "I think Ray is hoping to settle down sometime soon. I know he wants a family, and a house with a stupid white picket fence life."

"What about you? What do you want?" Sara asked.

Nora looked down at their hands.

Sara took the jump ship key out of her pocket and with her other hand handed it to Nora. "Ava should be here in a moment to pick me up."

A silent understanding passed between them, something Sara had grown used to. She could rely on Nora to communicate with her through a glance during a mission, and that carried over to their personal relationship. Although Nora was Ava's best friend, they were Legends, which meant they were family.

Nora took the key and nodded her thanks. Sara could see the shift in her as she put up her walls again and pulled her hand back from Sara's belly. She crossed her arms and let the vulnerability fall from her face.

"This means I can't try and stop the rest of those idiots from making a mess of things while you're gone," Nora said.

"I'll tell them to take the week off and spend some time in Star City. Constantine can see his boyfriend, Mick can hit up the bars, and Zari can drag Charlie to that convention she keeps talking about," Sara said, thinking it would be better to have them separate than together. "They can't blow up the world individually."

Nora laughed. "Have you met them?"

Sara must have had a panicked look in her eye she didn't mask, as Nora laughed harder.

"Don't worry, Captain," Gideon assured her. "I will be sure to keep an eye on the crew and stop them from doing anything terrible while you are away."

"Thank you, Gideon."

Nora's laughter died down as Sara watched her walk away. Sara sighed and walked back to the bridge to tell the rest of her crew to take the week off.

* * *

Sara texted Ava to pick her up, knowing her girlfriend was eagerly waiting for her. Sure enough, the portal opened in front of her not two seconds after she sent the text and Ava stepped through. Sara could also feel her exhaustion seep in, she knew she'd need a nap when she got to Ava's. Building a human was hard work.

"Hey," Ava said, as she picked up Sara's duffle bag, swinging it over her shoulder. "I've been researching some doctors. I found a few that I like and I think we should go over them and make an appointment for tomorrow."

Sara nodded, thinking it over, but before she could reply they heard a portal open in the hallway behind them. Sara cursed whoever had come through, it looked like their week off had ended before it had begun.

"Hello," Miranda said, stepping out. "Rip called and said you two might want some help with something."

Or maybe not. Sara smiled at her, relieved to see a familiar face. After they had killed Vandal Savage they were able to save Miranda and Jonas, although they had to relocate to 2018.

"Miranda, you're a midwife right?" Sara asked.

"That I am," she replied. "But you both knew that."

Confused, she glanced between them as Sara and Ava exchanged a look. "Is there something that I should know?"

* * *

"Okay, let's start off with your cycle Sara. What was the day of your last period?" Miranda asked, as they walked into the med bay.

"November 1st," Sara said as she followed her in.

"Right, and how long is your cycle?" Miranda asked, picking up a tablet from the drawer in between the seats and starting to take her notes.

"28 days. It's like clockwork, which was why I knew something was off," Sara said, sitting down in the chair on the right. She figured she would have to sooner or later.

Miranda nodded and continued to type, probably pulling up the medical records Gideon kept on her. Sara looked over at Ava, who stood awkwardly by the door, and held out her hand to coax Ava to her side.

"That puts you at five weeks today and due August 20th," Miranda said, looking up at them. "Has your cycle been like this since you were resurrected?"

"Yes, before that it was kind of off. I was often late, and I didn't get my period from around winter 2007 to around spring 2009 or something," Sara said. Her memories of the Amazo were ever present and traumatic, leaving her unsure of some of the details, while others were crystal clear.

Miranda nodded and Ava took Sara's hand, squeezing it tightly. Sara had never discussed her time on the Amazo in detail with Ava.

"Have you ever been pregnant before?"

Sara shook her head, "Nope."

"Are you currently on any medications?"

"No."

"Alright, for now, why don't we base our assumptions off of your current medical history from the day you were a resurrected in November 2014. If it's necessary though, we will defer to your whole medical history."

"Sounds good."

"Why don't we get your blood pressure and start with a blood test," Miranda said. She set down the tablet and walked over to the sink, washing her hand and pulling on a pair of gloves. "Can you put on Gideon's medical bracelet, take off your jacket and hold out your arm?"

Sara did as she was told and put the medical bracelet on her wrist as Miranda pulled out the blood pressure monitor.

"What about your family history? Are there any history of birth defects or genetic diseases that I should be aware of?" Miranda asked, as she placed the blood pressure cuff around Sara's arm.

"Other than alcoholism, one of my cousins had a cleft palate. It was fixed after they were born so I don't know much about it, " Sara said as she watched Miranda.

"Okay, good to know," Miranda said. "It's something we'll keep an eye on."

"Is it genetic?" Sara asked, suddenly worried. She never thought about how it had occurred or that it could affect her baby.

"It can be, but there are a lot of factors that can cause those birth defects," Miranda reassured her.

She finished measuring Sara's blood pressure and removed the cuff.

"Gideon can you add that to Sara's chart, blood pressure is 110/70."

"Yes, Nurse Coburn."

"What about you, Ava?" Miranda asked.

"What," Ava asked, caught off guard.

"Do you know your genetic and medical history?"

Sara could see Ava blank at the question. What did they know? Sure, she had read the pamphlet of Ava's genetic origin from the AVA Corporation, but that was mostly a bunch of marketing stuff. They had no idea what her true genetic makeup was. Ava looked around the room and pulled at the collar of her shirt.

"I.. I really don't know," Ava admitted. "Gideon, do you have a file for me?"

"I do have a medical file for all of the Avas, including you, beginning in November 2016."

"My own little toddler," Sara said affectionately.

"Speak for yourself, you're not much older," Ava said, crossing her arms.

"I am a full year older that counts for something," Sara said, with a smile.

"But no genetic history?" Miranda asked, bringing them back to the conversation.

"No, Nurse Coburn."

"Thank you, Gideon," she said.

"Is that important?" Ava asked.

"Only if we find any genetic abnormalities in the upcoming months or if the pregnancy isn't progressing as it should. We'll see what the tests show today." Miranda said.

"If I was gonna guess," Sara said, taking her hand again, "I'd bet that you're pretty healthy."

Ava nodded, but didn't appear to be convinced.

Miranda walked over to one of the drawers and pulled out a gown, and a few other pieces of equipment.

"If you two are ready we can continue with exams, but Sara you'll need to get undressed." She said handing her the gown. "We'll do some blood work and a urinalysis, then we'll discuss things further. At the end, we'll do an ultrasound."

"Okay," Sara said, as she took the gown.

Miranda pulled the curtain around them, giving them some privacy as Sara changed. Ava seemed distracted as she helped Sara change. She looked away from her as she reached down to help Sara step out of her jeans. Sara knew how much all this would affect Ava. After she put on the gown she reached up and cupped Ava's face with her hands, pulling her in for a quick kiss that she knew would help Ava relax and focus on the moment.

* * *

"Alright, Sara you can relax and take your feet out of the stirrups," Miranda said as she finished Sara's internal exam and stripped off her gloves.

Sara removed her feet from the stirrups as Gideon put them away and moved the chair into an upright position.

"Everything looks and feels fine,' Miranda said with a gentle smile.

It was then that Ava relaxed, as Sara folded down her gown and took Ava's hand.

"Gideon, do you have the results from the blood tests and urinalysis for me?"

"I do Nurse Coburn,"

"Could you please display them on the tablet."

Sara patted Ava's hand as Ava squeezed hers too tight. Ava looked down at their entwined hands, realizing how tight she was holding her and loosened her grip.

"I'm relieved that everything is going well," Miranda said as she looked over Sara's results. "You are clear of any infections or STDs, you're up to date on your chicken pox, rubella, and hepatitis vaccine, which is always good because you can't receive these vaccines while you're pregnant. Your hormone levels are where they should be and you're Rh-negative, so I would like to test Ava to see if she's positive or negative."

"Remind me what that is again," Sara asked.

"It's a blood protein on the surface of your red blood cells. If you have it you're Rh-positive, or if not you're Rh-negative. Since you're Rh-negative, there's a possibility that Ava could be Rh-positive, pass it on to the fetus, and you could develop antibodies. If you choose to get pregnant again the antibodies would attack any future children you choose to carry," Miranda said.

Miranda was always meticulous with her words, she tried to explain everything to them in simple terms. She was always that way, with clear words and a gentle disposition. Sara was grateful to have someone she trusted to care for her and that Miranda was willing to care for her on the Waverider rather than at her own practice.

"All right," Ava said, taking off her suit jacket.

"If you'd like we could also get a genetic profile on you. I'm not too concerned about your history, but in case you would like to know."

"I don't know," Ava said.

"Think about it, you can do the test with me or on your own with Gideon and then share the results with me later, or not do it at all," Miranda said, leaving it at that.

Ava nodded and stepped aside to sit in the seat next to Sara's for the Rh test. She put the medical cuff over her wrist and barely felt the pain as Gideon inserted the needle and drew her blood.

Ava was still considering her history or lack thereof. Sara was probably right, her designers would want her to be healthy with no possibility of her developing a genetic disease or having a history she could pass on. Not that she could procreate, or at least she thought she couldn't. She had never gotten her period and was amazed at the reality before her.

She had come to terms with her creation and creators, moving forward in life, but she never thought she'd have to look back. It brought up her insecurities of being a clone and what that meant for their child. Gideon signaled that she was done with her test, so Ava removed the bracelet and returned to Sara's side.

"So we've gone over your medical history and exams and after we get the results from Ava's blood test we will do the ultrasound. In the meantime Sara, let's discuss your health going forward. I'll give you a packet of information, including a list of foods to stay away from and some prenatal vitamins that you will need to be taking daily," Miranda said, then paused to be sure they were listening.

"So stay away from raw fish, meat, and eggs, and deli meats, soft cheeses, and unpasteurized milk or cheese products, as well as fish that is smoked or high in mercury. The list I'll give you will be more specific. The reason I asked you to stay away from these foods isn't that they are harmful, it's just that there's a higher risk of you contracting an infection. Stay away from certain pesticides and cleaners, cat feces, and avoid staying in a hot tub or sauna for more than 15 minutes, at least in your first trimester."

"Why hot tubs and saunas?" Sara asked.

"They raise your core body temperature, and that can cause birth defects or a miscarriage," Miranda explained. "My firm no's are alcohol and smoking. Now I know this is a lot of information, which is why I'll give you a packet, along with some other information."

It certainly was a lot. Sara looked up at Ava who gave her a reassuring smile. Rules and homework Ava could do, and she was always eager to help Sara with things like this.

"Is there anything else we should be concerned about?" Ava asked. "Like time travel, miscarriage, diet, or exercise?"

"I don't see why you can't continue to time travel, so long as you are not too nauseous and up to date on your vaccines. However, please keep both myself and Gideon updated on where you go, so she will be able to do a risk assessment for you. I know you two both have a healthy enough diet so continue with that, and I don't see why you shouldn't continue to exercise in moderation so long as you're up for it," Miranda said, stressing the last phase. "I would like to see you gain about 28 to 40 pounds, but I'm not too worried about that in your first trimester. For now, don't actively try to lose any weight."

"This is all pure muscles," Sara said patting her abdomen.

"Don't feel too bad when you start gaining weight, I know I did with Jonas, but it is necessary," Miranda said. "As for a miscarriage, stick with what I've recommended for you. In reality, there are several factors that contribute to a miscarriage and there's not much we can do to prevent it, especially if there is a fetal abnormality. We'll see what the scans say today, but that can change."

Ava nodded, suddenly somber as Gideon dinged with her blood results. "You are Rh-positive Director Sharpe."

"What does that mean?" Ava asked.

"It means that we will check Sara for antibodies," Miranda said, looking down at Sara's test results. "You're clean now, but when you are 28 weeks, you'll get an Rh immune globulin injection and another after you deliver, if the baby is Rh-positive."

Ava nodded and squeezed Sara's hand. She thought about the genetic test, this was the first thing she had that affected Sara and the baby. What if there were other things that could affect them that she had no idea about?

"Do you have any more questions?" Miranda asked, then continued when Ava and Sara were silent. "It's okay if you don't, we'll schedule an appointment for when you're eight weeks and we can discuss things more then."

"Yeah, okay," Sara said.

"Okay," Miranda said, as she put the tray of medical instruments away to be cleaned. "Just two more things, then you're free to go. I'll give you your shots, which will include a flu shot and a Tdap vaccination, then we'll do an ultrasound. I always like to save it for last as it's often the best thing about an otherwise boring appointment."

Sara nodded and squeezed Ava's hand. Nodding and hand holding seemed to be the only thing she could do right now. Sara never looked away as Miranda administered the shots.

"You're all set," Miranda said, disposing of the syringes. "Now, just slide back and put your feet up again. You're not far enough along for an external ultrasound, which is why it's transvaginal."

Sara nodded along with everything as Miranda pulled out the ultrasound machine, preparing the wand with lube and a cover. Everything grew quiet and Gideon dimmed the lights as Ava pulled Sara's hand to her lips.

"You'll feel a bit of pressure, but let me know if you're in pain or need more lube," Miranda said, before she inserted the wand.

A few seconds later there was a picture on the screen. Ava wasn't surprised when there wasn't a perfect picture of the baby on the screen; she wasn't that far along. Instead, there was a gray picture with a black circle in the middle.

"I can confirm that you are most certainly pregnant," Miranda said. "With just one embryo."

"There you can see the gestational sac along with the yolk sac across from the fetal pole," Miranda said as she zoomed in on the black circle. "Do you want that picture?"

"Yeah," Sara and Ava whispered, transfixed by the screen.

She pulled up a few things on the screen and took some measurements. "The measurements line up with your due date, they're currently .13 inches long."

* * *

Everything was over too quickly for Sara, the lights slowly returned to their normal brightness as the ultrasound machine had shut off, and Miranda removed the wand. She cleaned the machine as Sara's chair turned into an upright position.

"Your scans are clear of any abnormalities, things are the correct position, and everything is progressing," Miranda said, as she handed Sara a slide of photographs from the ultrasound. "Congratulations to you both."

Sara could feel her cheeks ache from smiling, not that it made her stop. She couldn't contain the happiness that she felt in the moment. Not just at the thought of seeing her baby, but of having them. She couldn't believe it. She was having a baby. She didn't realize she was crying until Ava wiped away her tears. She looked up at her to see that Ava was emotional as well, and she could see the tears were collecting in her eyes, but had yet to spill over. Ava leaned down to kiss her, a soft peck that made Sara feel loved and supported.

"Thank you," Ava said, turning to Miranda, finding the words where Sara could not.

"I think we're all set here. You can get dressed, and Gideon, if you could send the file to my office, we will be all set for your next appointment," Miranda said.

She pulled out her card from her purse. "This is my professional information, the address for the birth center I work at is on the front. If you had any problems or concerns feel free to call this number or my personal number. If you call Julia at the front desk and tell her you're my patient, she will set you up with an appointment."

"And when will that be?" Ava asked.

"Around the time your eight weeks, so after January 9th but before the 16th."

"Thanks again," Ava said, reaching out to shake Miranda's hand.

"My pleasure, I'm always happy to help my friends bring a new little one into the world," she said.

"Thank you," Sara finally managed. Miranda smiled back at her and reached out to take Sara's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Take it easy and listen to your body. It knows what it's doing."

"Is that advice from a fellow mom or from my midwife?"

Miranda smiled, "let's just say a bit of both."

* * *

Ava opened the portal into the space between her kitchen and the dining room. Sara quickly stepped through it into their home. They had discussed so many things with Miranda that Sara felt like her head was spinning from all the information. She was thankful for the packet she had given them, though there were still things that they had to worry about and plan for.

Sara took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She realized how exhausted she was and decided to take a nap. She walked over to the couch, picked up her favorite blanket that was neatly folded in the basket under the end table and curled up on the couch. Ava set down her prenatal vitamins and followed her there. She picked up Sara's feet and placed them on her lap.

"Tired?" Ava asked.

Sara hummed her reply.

"Can we discuss something?"

Sara sighed and Ava quickly added, "It's just one thing and then you can have your nap."

"Fine," Sara said, and rolled on to her back to look up at Ava.

"I just keep thinking about what Miranda said, about the risk of miscarriage and everything, so I don't think it's a good idea to tell anyone else for now," Ava said.

Sara was a bit taken aback at her words. Naturally she had assumed she would tell her mom and a few of the others, especially since Nora knew. She was hoping they could rely on them.

"I don't know," Sara said. "I think it'd be good to tell some of the gang. I mean if I do miscarry, I'm not gonna hide it from them."

"And I wouldn't ask you to, I just want to keep it between us for now," Ava said, threading her fingers in between Sara's.

Sara could see how nervous she was with this whole thing. She hadn't considered that Ava wouldn't want to shout it from the rooftops like she wanted to.

"Okay," Sara said. "How about we compromise? We'll keep it a secret, and only tell the few people who we think can help us, like my Mom, Kendra, and maybe Jax. Also, Nora knows so..."

Ava looked confused at Sara's suggestion. "Why your Mom?"

"I just think she could really help us figure everything out, and chances are my pregnancy is gonna be like hers," Sara said.

Sara could see that Ava wasn't on board. Ava had never been close to her parents, given the fact that they weren't real, and she never truly understood Sara and her mother's relationship.

They had been really close when Sara was a kid and up into her teenage years. Her mom had always been there for her, even when she didn't agree with the path as Sara was taking. Things had changed after the Gambit and Sara had a hard time reconnecting with her. However, since Sara started traveling with the Legends she had put more of an effort into her relationship with her mom. They had grown quite close again.

"Please, Ava," Sara said. "You and I can't do this on our own we need her."

"You're right," Ava said.

"Can I get that in writing," Sara joked.

Ava rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You shouldn't have to ask if you want to tell someone. I just wanted it to be something special between the two of us. I wanted to figure it out on my own, but a little bit of advice isn't gonna kill me."

"Ava Sharpe admitting that I was right and that she could use some advice. I never thought I'd see the day." Sara said, and with a yawn she closed her eyes.

"Yeah well, we're kind of in uncharted territory here. I mean technically I was never born, and who knows how that could affect the baby. I've never even been to the doctor before. I wonder if my immune system is different from everyone else? Do you think that would show up on a genetic test? Plus I know absolutely nothing about pregnancy, or babies, or any of this. I was thinking about going down to the bookstore and getting some pregnancy related books. What do you think?" Ava stopped her rambling and looked over at Sara, her face was relaxed and Ava could hear her even breaths.

"Sara?" Ava asked, just to make sure she was asleep.

When she got no reply Ava knew that she was out cold. She squeezed Sara's hand and looked at how peaceful she was. She wondered how much longer this peace would last. She was so nervous about everything, especially since there wasn't much that she could do. However, She did know that she had to do something, she couldn't sit around and wallow in her thoughts, so she decided to do what she did best, research.

Ava carefully and quietly moved out from under Sara's feet, placing them back on the couch and gently tucking Sara in. She scribbled on a sticky note and placed it on the coffee table in case Sara woke up before she got back from the bookstore. She put on her coat and grabbed her keys before turning back to look at the back of the couch. The room was so quiet that she could hear Sara's soft even breaths. She decided to go back and gently walked over to Sara, leaning over the back of the couch and placing a kiss to her forehead, brushing away a few of Sara's baby hairs.

"I'll be back soon," she whispered, kissing Sara's head again.

She knew she shouldn't be, but she was nervous about leaving Sara alone. However, her desire for knowledge outweighed her worry. She knew it was the only way to put her mind at ease, so she walked out the door and went to the bookstore.

* * *

The first thing Sara was aware of when she woke up was the sound of turning pages and Ava muttering under her breath. She peeked with one eye to find Ava still sitting at the end of the couch with her feet on her lap, reading. The book Ava was currently engrossed in was very thick, while a few others sat untouched on the coffee table. The paper bag next to them was from the bookstore up the street that Ava was a frequent visitor of.

"Hey," Ava said quietly, catching Sara's attention. "Did you have a good nap?"

Sara yawned and stretched her arms above her head and Ava chuckled.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, as Sara gave her a sleepy smile.

"What's all this?" Sara asked.

"I went to the bookstore and got a few things," Ava said, showing her the cover of the book she was currently reading. " _What To Expect When You're Expecting."_ It's been great so far, with some really good advice. I wasn't completely sure what to get so I just kind of went with the generic ones that had good reviews. I figured we could get more later if we wanted to."

Sara surveyed the books on the table. There were only three, two other pregnancy books and something else.

"Aw, you got a Dad book," Sara said, picking it up. " _We're Pregnant! The First Time Dad's Pregnancy Handbook."_

"Yeah, there wasn't really any alternatives, so I thought why not. I wanted to get this one queer pregnancy partner's book, but they don't have it and I didn't want to drive to The Queer Corner across town."

"It looks pretty good," Sara said, flipping through it. She went to the page on the fifth week of pregnancy and was surprised with the advice the little book had. She knew for certain it would be a great help to Ava. She closed the book and placed it in Ava's hands over the one she was currently reading.

"You should read this one, Dad." She teased, stealing the _What to Expect_ book Ava was reading and getting up from the couch.

"Sara!" Ava shouted, at her as she shuffled away, not amused with her suggestion.

"I gotta pee!" Sara shouted back as she made a beeline for the bathroom.

A few minutes later Sara returned, having taken a little bit longer as she had quickly gotten engrossed in the book. She could guess why it was the number one pregnancy book. It had a lot of information, but Sara wasn't too wild about the question and answer format.

As soon as she sat down she could sense that Ava had something on her mind, so she moved to face her and Ava grabbed her hand.

"I want you to move in with me," Ava announced. "I'm not asking you to give up your life on the Waverider or your job as Captain. I know how important it is to you. I just want a stable environment for you and the baby."

Sara didn't let her face betray her thoughts as she looked away from Ava to glance around the house. Ava could see her mind working as she considered her offer. Sara had thought about where she wanted to raise her baby. She wanted to give them the childhood that she had. She also wanted to give her child a bit of adventure. She didn't want to harm them or expose them to anything dangerous. However, the scene of family they had on the Waverider, she wanted that for her child.

"You don't have to decide right now," Ava said, putting aside her feelings of uncertainty. "We can talk about it more later or..."

"I think…" Sara began. "I think it would be good to raise the baby here. We can convert your guest bedroom or the office into a nursery, but from the look on your face it's gonna be the guest bedroom."

"No it should be the office, I don't want to bring my work home with me. I want to set aside that time for you and the baby."

Sara smiled at her words and absent mindedly placed her hand on her abdomen. On one hand, everything just felt so real. They were doing this, they were gonna be a family. On the other, Ava was right: they could miscarry and lose all of this.

Before she could tell Ava this, her phone rang. Sara pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. The title of Mom ran across the banner and Sara quickly answered.

"Hey Mom," she said.

Ava perked up at this and leaned towards Sara.

"Hey, sweetie, how are you?" Dinah replied.

"I'm… doing okay," Sara said, not sure what to tell her. She didn't want to lie to her, but she also didn't want to spill her big news over the phone. "How are you?"

"Sara, what's going on? I can hear it in your voice something's happened," Dinah said, her voice laced with concern.

Sara sighed. She never could hide anything from her mother.

"Um, what are you doing for Christmas Mom?"

Sara waited patiently as Dinah hesitated over the phone. Deciding whether to continue to pursue her concerns for Sara or be led away to a new conversation.

"Well, Roger and I were just going to have a nice Christmas dinner and I was calling to get Ava's address for your presents, but I won't if you and Ava are coming over for your birthday and Christmas," Dinah said.

Sara should have known her mom wouldn't drop her concerns easily and having her there meant she could bug Sara in person. Not that she would have to if Sara told her once they got there.

Sara put her hand up to the receiver and whispered to Ava, "My mom wants to have us over on the 25th, I think it'd be good. We could tell her then."

Ava drew her mouth down to one side in a form of a grimace. Clearly not thrilled with the idea of spending the holidays with Sara's mom and her partner. Calling Roger her mom's boyfriend still felt weird in Sara's mind.

Sara's finger must not have been over the receiver as her mom quickly replied. "Not just the 25th, you two could come for a few days if you wanted."

Sara watched as Ava thought it over in her head. Sara could see her go through a list of pros and cons as her facial expressions changed and she nodded her head from side to side.

"Can you give us a moment, Mom?" Sara asked and pulled her phone away from her ear. She made sure her finger was over the receiver.

"But what about us? I was hoping to get some special time with you," Ava said, pouting and scooting forward until her knees touched Sara's. She pulled Sara's legs over her own and wrapped her arms around Sara's waist.

"It's only the 19th. We could go from the 23rd to the 26th, I mean I know we have unofficial plans with the Legends and stuff, but we could always spend Christmas morning with my Mom and then have dinner with them later. I think we should go, I want to tell my mom in person," Sara explained.

She couldn't help but be a little bit excited to tell her Mom about the baby and to spend Christmas with her, something they hadn't done since Sara had left for college all those years ago.

Ava must be able to read her thoughts based off of the look on her face, because her features softened and she smiled back at Sara.

"Yeah, why not," she said.

Sara leaned forward and gave Ava a quick peck before putting the phone back up to her ear.

"That sounds great Mom, we would love to stay with you for the holidays."

"That's great sweetie," Dinah said. "I'll make up the guest bedroom for you and I'll get a honey ham for christmas dinner."

"Thanks Mom, but the Legends and I were kind of planning on having Christmas dinner together."

"Well, why don't you invite them over here? We'll have a real Christmas party."

"You don't mind having them over?" Sara asked, bewildered as to why her mom would want to host all of her friends for Christmas.

"Of course not. We have spent the last few Christmas alone, but it would be nice to have a houseful of people again."

"I'm sorry Mom, I should have come to visit more around the holidays," Sara said, frowning and crawling into Ava's lap.

"Don't be sorry honey, you have your own life. I'm just happy that I can have you over this year," Dinah said sincerely.

"I love you Mom and we'll see you soon," Sara said.

"I love you too, Sara. Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked, leaving Sara room to talk if she wanted to.

"No, that's all."

"Okay," Dinah said accepting Sara's answer. "Bye, sweetie, call us when you get here."

"We will. Bye Mom," Sara said, hanging up, and placing her head on Ava's shoulder.

"Is everything alright," Ava asked, rubbing Sara's back.

"Yeah," Sara said picking her head back up and kissing Ava again.

"You know," Ava said, moving to kiss her way down Sara's jaw. "Since we are on vacation, with the Legends and the Bureau having strict orders not to contact us, we could spend all day in bed."

She punctuating that last words with kisses down Sara's neck.

With Ava's mouth at her pulse point, Sara seriously considered taking her up on her offer. Although, the nausea pain in her stomach and, despite her nap, the feeling of fatigue made her pull away.

"I would love to," she said, looking down at their entwined hands and the little bit of skin between Ava's waistband and her shirt. "But I just don't feel up to it right now."

"What's wrong?" Ava asked. "Are you nauseous or tired or sore or… "

"Yeah," Sara replied. "All of the above."

Ava kissed her forehead again and slowly pulled away from her. "Rip gave me some teas that should help with the nausea. Do you want me to make you some?"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Sara said. "In the meantime, I'm gonna call the Legends and see how many of them want to go to my Mom's for Christmas."

* * *

December 23rd, 2019.

"Okay let's go over this one more time," Ava said, as she stood in their bedroom.

Sara sat on the bed next to their suitcases and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was the second time that Ava had gone over their packing list, making sure that everything was in their suitcases, but Sara let her do it. Ava had been more nervous than Sara had ever seen over the past few days, constantly double checking and triple checking everything, and worrying about her and the baby.

"Socks, underwear, bras, do you need new ones?" Ava asked as she started to list off every item.

"Yes, yes, and," Sara said, pausing to feel her chest, her breast were tender but not any bigger than usual. "Not yet."

Ava continued to list off everything they could have needed for the trip, double checking that everything was in the suitcase. It was a long list and halfway through Sara shuffled back to lean against the pillows.

"Are you okay?" Ava asked, pausing.

"I'm fine Ava," Sara said, for what felt like the millionth time. "Keep reading."

Sara knew that Ava was only concerned about her throwing up unexpectedly, which had happened a few times the past few days. She was so worried and it was starting to affect Sara. She just hoped that Ava could learn to relax a little bit over the holidays and not be so incessantly worried throughout her entire pregnancy.

Ava finally finished listing off every single item on her list for a second time.

"Great," Sara said, shutting the lids of their suitcases and hastily zipping them up. "Let's get going!"

Sara slid off the bed and started to walk out of the room to grab her coat.

"Wait," Ava said, using her no nonsense voice, halting Sara in her tracks.

Sara sighed and turned around, plastering an excited smile across her face in the hopes that Ava couldn't tell she was frustrated with her. The smile, however, was true, Sara really was excited to spend the holidays with her mom.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Ava asked, walking up to her and wrapping her arms around Sara's waist.

"Ava..." Sara whined.

"I won't ask again, I promise, I just don't want you to feel like you have to go because you said we would or because it's the holidays," Ava said, ducking her head down to Sara's eye level.

Sara's hands played with the zipper on Ava's fleece vest, considering what Ava said. She got briefly off track, wondering if she could convince Ava to wear a knitted hat with little pom poms dangling from the sides, she'd look so cute.

"Sara," Ava whispered, bringing her back.

A part of her wanted to do what Ava suggested, and just curl up in her lap and sleep the weekend away. She was so nauseous and tired, and all she wanted was to be comforted by Ava. Another part of her knew that the nausea and tiredness is just a part of pregnancy and she'll have to get used to it if she wanted to do anything in the next few weeks. She does want to spend Christmas with her mom, to have that little bit of her childhood back.

"I really wanna do this Ava," she whispered, finally looking up at her and placing her hands flat on Ava's chest.

"Okay," Ava agreed, pressing a kiss to Sara's forehead, lingering there for a moment. "But please tell me if you're not feeling well, and I'll make up some excuse so you can go lay down. I don't want you having to tough it out."

"Okay," Sara said, leaning up to give Ava a proper kiss, relishing in her warm lips. "Now let's get going!"

Sara pulled away and bounded down the stairs as carefully as she could, pulling on her snow boots and coat. Ava followed more slowly down the stairs, carrying their suitcase. She followed Sara into the mudroom and got dressed as well, zipping up her thick blue coat with a matching hat and gloves. Sara put her hands on the handle of the suitcase and waited as Ava finished getting ready. Ava grabbed an extra blue, white and tan scarf from the hook. The scarf was hers, but she wrapped it around Sara's neck. Ava tucked it right up against her chin.

For which Sara gave her an eye roll. "I doubt we'll be outside for more than 5 minutes."

"I know, I just don't want you to get cold."

Sara sighed, she was still unsure if she was comfortable with Ava's attentive care. The worry was one thing, but the extra attention and care were another.

"I don't see why we can't just portal into the living room, my Mom already knows we're time travelers."

"If you want to tell her that you're pregnant this afternoon, then I think we should keep the unexpected arrivals to a maximum of one."

Sara placed a hand below the belt of her jeans and her eyes softened as she gazed down at her hand. Sara was surprised at how happy she felt, so full of joy and content.

"Unexpected arrival indeed," Sara whispered.

Ava took a cautionary a step forward into Sara's moment. Sara looked up at her and then reached out and grabbed Ava's hand, placing it over her belly. At first, Ava felt ridiculous doing so, it's not like she could feel the baby kicking or anything, but for Sara, placing her hand there made it all feel very real. Ava's face lightened as soon as Sara wrapped an arm around her, leaning into her side, and placing her head on Ava's shoulder. They stood side by side and Sara placed a kiss on Ava's cheek, then took a deep breath.

"Ready?" Ava asked, unwinding her arms around Sara to program her Time Courier.

"Yep."

Ava opened the portal in her mudroom to reveal the steps leading up to Dinah's townhouse in Central City. There was a fresh layer of snow on the bushes, but the steps had been freshly shoveled, with only a thin layer of mush on the surrounding pavement. Ava grabbed the bags and put her arm around Sara's shoulders, as they walked together up the steps. Sara leaned forward and rang the doorbell as the portal closed behind them.

The door opened wide with a rush of warm air surrounded them, to reveal Dinah with all of her curls in a warm brown sweater. She didn't wait for Sara to step forward in order to pull her in for a hug.

"Oh sweetie, I've missed you," she said, while squeezing Sara.

"I missed you too Mom," Sara said. They embraced for several minutes, as Dinah held her daughter.

"Oh, Dinah, bring them in. It's far too cold out," Roger said, as he appeared in the door frame, ushering them in.

They had only seen Roger a handful of times, as he often stayed in Central City when Dinah would make a trip to DC or to Star City to see them.

Dinah and Sara parted as they all clambered into the hallway, shaking off bits of snow that had collected on their hats and shoes. Roger said hello to Sara and Dinah pulled Ava in for a quick hug and hello.

"Hey Ava, it's good to see you," Roger said as he shook Ava's hand.

"It's good to see you too," Ava said.

"I'll take your bags up to the guest bedroom and then show you where it is later," Roger said, already climbing up the stairs before either of them could protest.

"Did you to take a cab? I didn't hear it pull up," Dinah asked as she took Sara's scarf and coat and hung them in the closet.

"Well, we just kinda jumped over here from the Waverider so, you know," Sara fumbled, not wanting to lie to her mother.

Dinah accepted her lie without question as they walked into the living room. "Do either of you want any coffee? I just made a fresh pot."

"That would be gre.. oph." Ava began to say before Sara cut her off with her elbow. Sara shot her a look. Ava had agreed to cut back on coffee and adjust her diet alongside her.

"Actually Mom, I think we will both take some tea, do you have peppermint?" Sara said, as they all settled on the couch.

"That I do," Dinah said, putting the kettle on.

"So, do you two want to do anything special while you're here?" Roger asked, reappearing in the room and settling in his chair.

"Not really," Sara said. "We were just hoping to spend some time with you two actually."

Sara twisted her fingers into the blanket next to her, more nervous than she feels she should be. The words seem to be on the tip of her tongue, threatening to spill out at any moment. She slipped off her shoes and curled up next to Ava, who seemed to be as tense as she was. The simple movement helped her relax and she could feel Ava let out a breath and sit back into the couch.

"Oh, well we're looking forward to it," Dinah said, appearing with four mugs, two in each hand.

They all settle in with a bit of awkward silence as they sipped their drinks. In this moment, Sara realized that she's been neglecting her relationship with her mom and wondered if she'd done the right thing by coming here for Christmas. She set her mug down on the coffee table and planted her feet on the floor, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.

"There's actually another reason we wanted to come here. Ava and I," Sara said, looking back at her. "We're going to be making some changes in the next eight months or so and… well… I… We want you to be involved."

She couldn't seem to find the right words when a moment ago it was on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to be careful about how she asked for her mom's guidance. Sara looked back at Ava who gave her a reassuring smile and took her hand, sitting up again. She looked at her mom and saw the fear in her eyes.

"It's not bad news, it's good news actually," Sara said, she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, it felt so bright she could feel her cheeks begin to ache. It seemed that all she could do when she thought about them or talked about it was smile.

Dinah seems to relax, but a look of confusion crossed her face, "okay well..."

"I'm pregnant, we're having a baby," Sara said, her voice filled with excitement.

"You are?" Dinah asked in disbelief, but matching her daughter's level of excitement.

Sara just nodded and squeezed Ava's hand, she could feel Ava's leg bounce with excitement.

"Oh Sweetie, that's wonderful!" Dinah said, getting up and rushing over to Sara, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Sara let herself be embraced by her mother and be pulled into her warmth. She didn't realize how nervous she had been for all of this until now when it was all over and her mother was rejoicing in their news. She squeezed her eyes shut and she could feel the tears formed in her eyes begin to fall down her cheeks.

"Well, congratulations," Roger said from behind her, but she couldn't hear Ava's excited reply.

When she pulled back she saw the both of them had gotten up and were embracing as well. Dinah pulled out a tissue box from thin air and wiped away her tears, which only made Sara sob harder. Sara tried to take a few deep breaths and collect herself. She felt Ava's sit back down beside her and rub her back.

"Don't try and fight it, darling. No one here is going to fault you for your tears," Dinah said.

Sara nodded and accepted more tissues, she looked up to see tears in Dinah's eyes as well and they both cried, surrounded by their family.

* * *

After the tears had all been dried up and the tissues thrown away, they were all back to where they started, seated in the living room.

"So how far along are you?" Dinah asked, with a bigger smile than Sara had seen in years across her face, which is only a testament to their separation.

"I'm not very far along, only five weeks."

"So you're still getting used to the hormone changes then."

"Yeah," Sara said. "I'm just a bit nauseous and tired all the time."

Dinah nodded, "I remember what that was like and if you're anything like me, you might want to talk to your doctor if it gets too bad. I had it pretty bad with Laurel and then with you, I actually went on medication."

"We'll see how it goes," Sara said, with a yawn.

"Why don't I go grab the journal I kept while I was pregnant with you," Dinah said, getting up from the couch. "Ava, do you think that you could help me? It's packed away in the attic and I don't want to get a chair."

"Mom, she's only a few inches taller than me," Sara said.

"Yes, but she's much more lanky then us and I'm sure her arms are longer."

"It's okay I don't mind helping," Ava said, getting up and following her.

Dinah led her up the stairs, pointing to the first room on the right. "There's your room."

Ava nodded as she continued to follow Dinah down the hall to the last door on the left. Dinah pushed open the door to reveal a storage room packed with several boxes. Dinah stepped in and went straight for the boxes in the back as Ava slowly followed her in.

The first few boxes seem to be just your average storage totes with labels like Christmas or spring, but the rest of the boxes had either Sara or Laurel's name on them. Ava looked at a tote that was labeled as 'Laurel's apartment' and another that was labeled 'Sara's dorm room'. Ava took a step forward to investigate, but quickly stopped herself, not wanting to intrude, and clasped her hands behind her back. She looked at Dinah and blushed when she realized that she had been caught.

"After Sara... disappeared… on the gambit," Dinah said, trying to find the right words. "We had a company collect her things from her dorm, everything got put in boxes and we left them in Sara's room. They stayed there, along with Sara's other things completely untouched, waiting for her to come home. That is until Quentin and I divorced a year later and we couldn't pay the mortgage. Then I packed all of her things up and put them in here, and when Laurel died I did the same thing."

"I should make her go through it all since she's here," Dinah said, as she looked around at the towers of boxes that touch the ceiling. "You must think I'm crazy, having all of Laurel and Sara things in here."

"No," Ava said, earnestly. She wished that she had boxes of childhood things tucked away, if only for sentiment.

Dinah shook her head and pointed to the box she wanted. Ava stepped up and was able to easily get it down. Dinah busied herself with the box of Sara's baby things and pulled out the journal that she was looking for.

"Here it is," she said, before putting the top back on the tote.

* * *

They walked back down the stairs into an unusually quiet living room. The tv was on, but Ava saw Roger with his head back against the chair snoring away. She walked around the couch to see that Sara had curled up on the cushions and was fast asleep as well.

Dinah handed her a blanket after she placed one over Roger and Ava spread it over Sara. Tucking her in and placing a kiss to her forehead.

"Why don't we let them get some rest," Dinah whispered.

She led Ava down the hall into her office. The walls were lined with books that were older than she was, which wasn't very long considering everything. Ava ran her fingers along the worn backs.

"Sara tells me that you're a time traveler as well," Dinah said, catching Ava's attention.

"Yes," Ava said, turning back to her. "But I mostly just supervise everybody else these days."

"Well, I suppose you must have some adventures?"

Ava smiled as they settled down in two matching armchairs. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Have you ever been to Ancient Greece?" Dinah's eyes lit up in the same way that Sara's did when she talked about something she was passionate about. The two fell into an easy conversation.

* * *

December 24th, 2019.

Christmas Eve seemed to pass them in a flash. They went ice skating, only to have Ava fail miserably while Sara skated circles around her, but they both enjoyed getting to know Dinah and Roger better. Sara was right about Dinah being able to help them out. She offered them tips and tricks on how to navigate things and ease their fears of impending parenthood.

The Legends had agreed to Christmas morning at Dinah's, if only because John, Nate, Mona, and Nora were the only ones who celebrated it, and they didn't care if they waited. Then, they would celebrate the fourth night of Hanukkah, with everyone at Star Labs that night, meaning that Sara's birthday surprise was coming along as planned.

Before they knew it, dinner was put away and their favorite Christmas movie, Home Alone, had ended. Sara and Ava had gone up to bed, pretending to be tired, in order to wrap presents.

"I can't believe we didn't get these done sooner," Ava said, as she sat crisscross on the floor wrapping Zari's last present.

"Well we've have had a lot to deal with in the past few days," Sara said, turning in her chair at the desk.

"I know I just feel bad doing this last minute."

Ava carefully folded the paper and taped it shut as Sara licked the envelope. It was now well past their usual bedtime and Ava could feel the sleepiness surround her. She glanced out the window to see fresh snow softly falling, illuminated by the streetlamps and porch lights. The Christmas light on the houses and the trees in the window made her smile, feeling soft or perhaps just tired.

"Well we're almost done, and no one will be any wiser," Sara said, handing her the card and yawning.

Ava tucked the card under the bow of Zari's present, then collected them in her arms. "Do you want to help me bring them down?"

She turned around to see that Sara had already gotten in bed. Looking sheepishly up at her, Sara slipped down deeper into the mound of blankets.

"I'll wait up for you," Sara said, with only her head peeking out.

"I'll hold you to that," Ava whispered, as she opened the door and snuck out.

The red, green, and white lights from the Christmas tree were softly aglow in the living room, making it easier for Ava to sneak around. She carefully placed the first batch of presents under the tree before going back for the rest. It seems she wasn't the only one playing Santa, as she saw several new gifts from Dinah and Roger.

Ava took one last look at the tree as she stopped in the doorway to the hall. The scene before her reminded her of a red Christmas card, with the tree and decorations all and in perfect place, gleaming in the mellow Christmas lights. It was in that moment that everything seemed magical and wonderful. Ava let herself be filled with excitement as she smiled and let out a squeal, wiggling with true joy, as she bounded up the stairs.

True to her words Sara was awake, for the most part, and waiting for her. She never opened her eyes as she pulled up the covers, inviting Ava in and wrapped her arm around her, then tucked herself against Ava's body. Ava brushed the hair away from Sara's face and leaned in to kiss her.

"Merry Christmas Ava," Sara whispered to her, almost asleep.

"And happy birthday," Ava said, imitating Frosty the Snowman, earning a laugh from Sara.

She leaned in to kiss her again before pulling away and settling down. Sara fell asleep within minutes, something she seemed to have no problem doing these days. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light, snoring softly next to her. Ava's excitement and anxiety about the next day's party kept her up longer than usual. She looked over at Sara and rolled onto her side to face her. She wrapped her arms around Sara and pulled her close.

Words couldn't contain the love that Ava had for her. Sometimes it felt like she might burst from all the love she had inside. All she could do was tell Sara that she loved her and watch the smile bloom across her face. Though, Ava still worried about whether she would be enough.

Ava sighed and pushed the thought away. Tomorrow she could try and be enough, she could be herself and know that Sara loved her. Right now, all she could do was sleep.

* * *

December 25th, 2019.

Ava's internal clock woke her up, precisely seven hours after she had finally fallen asleep. She was sure that it was part of her being a clone, but she liked to think that it was because of her diligent training and natural disposition. She looked over at the clock to see if it was still considered early, if only by Sara, despite her late night.

Sara had rolled on top of her in the night and was snoring away on her chest. She folded her arms around Sara. Then, as quiet and slow as possible, she gently rolled Sara onto her back. Ava slowly crept out of bed, taking her phone with her as she tiptoed to the door. She froze as she heard Sara roll over and let out a sigh. Ava turned around and thankfully Sara remained asleep. She opened the door and slipped out, carefully closing it.

Ava opened her phone and sent the Legends a text, as she walked down the hall. She opened the door to the storage room, where Dinah had helped her stash Sara's birthday presents and decorations, pulling out the bags and hauling them downstairs.

Just as she put them down on the table, the portal opened and all the Legends tumbled out in their pajamas. Just as Ava had requested.

"Hey, quit shoving me," Zari said, as she fumbled in behind Mick and Charlie.

"No one is touching you," Charlie replied, turning to look back at her.

"Where am I supposed to put this?" Ray asked, carrying a mound of presents that were taller than he was, as Nora led him through the portal.

"Someone is clearly pushing me," Zari said, turning around and pushing Gary, who was behind her.

"It's not me," he said, holding up his hands as Behrad laughed beside him.

"Wow, they really when all out with the decorations," Mona, said as she looked around.

"Yeah this is a nice, eh Pretty?" Mick said, looking around as well and elbowing Nate.

"Quiet!" Ava whispered, in what Sara called her librarian's voice. Ava's shushing immediately caused everyone to grow silent and listen to her. "We need to keep it down if we don't want Sara to wake up."

As if to spite her, she heard footsteps from upstairs as the house creaked around them. Ava rushed to intercept her at the stairs only to see Dinah and Roger making their way down.

"Is everybody here?" Roger asked as he tightened his robe.

"Not yet," Ava said.

"Good," Dinah said. "I just checked on Sara and she's still asleep. I also got out the old baby monitor. I figured it would come in handy."

Ava breathed a sigh of relief. Dinah handed Ava the receiver and she turned it on. All she could hear was a little bit of static over the line, but if she listened closely she could hear Sara snoring.

"That's great, thank you, Dinah."

Once everyone has settled in the main room, Ava gave her orders.

"Roger, Nate," she said, pointing at them. "You two are on breakfast duty. Here a list of Sara's favorites," She began, handing them the note. "Ray and Zari, you two go pick up the Jacksons, Sin, Dinah; Laurel and Drake, and Kendra. I don't think Sara will sleep from more than an hour so I need you back here before then."

"I thought more people than that were coming," Ray said, as Ava handed him her Time Courier.

"The Queens, the Steins, and everyone else will be at Star Labs tonight for Hanukkah. This is just for Sara."

"Got it," Zari said. She opened a portal from her Time Courier and disappeared.

"Okay, everyone else is on decorating. Did you guys got the yellow birthday decorations I ask for?"

"Everything is right here," Charlie patting the box she had carried in.

"Good. Now all of the Christmas stuff goes down and the birthday stuff goes up." Ava said, pointing to the decor.

"All right, let's get to work," Nora said, as she pulled on Ray's shrink glove.

In less than no time, the house started to look less and less like Christmas morning and more like a birthday party. Charlie and Mick put up the yellow streamers. While the rest of the Christmas decorations were shrunk and placed in a box to be put back up later. Kendra, Karen, and Jax chipped in when they arrived. Just as Ava was steaming the milk for Sara's coffee she saw the lights on the monitor lit up.

"What the? Is this a baby monitor?" She heard Sara say.

"Quick everybody, she's up," Ava said, grabbing a mug and finishing the latte.

"We're not ready yet," Charlie said. "Zari's not back with the other Dinah's."

"And the quiche is still in the oven," Kendra said, next to her, having jumped in the kitchen to help when she arrived.

"I'll stall her," Ava said, as she grabbed the finished coffee and ran upstairs as quickly as she could with a full mug.

"I'll come get you when everything is ready," Dinah yelled, after her.

Everybody quieted down as she left the room. Nate finished putting the pancakes on a plate, and Jax finished putting candles with the birthday cake.

Thankfully, Sara wasn't in the hall and Ava opened the door to their bedroom to find Sara tugging on her favorite pair of sweatpants.

"Hey, baby," Ava said, holding out the mug to her.

"What is all this?" Sara said, holding up the baby monitor in her hand.

"Nothing, just maybe a little birthday surprise," Ava said, sheepishly.

Sara raised a single eyebrow and Ava walked over to sit on the bed gesturing for Sara to join her.

"I remember you telling me about how you used to celebrate your birthday in the morning before having a Christmas dinner."

"So you did what exactly?"

"I invited the Legends and a few other people over and they're downstairs with birthday presents and breakfast for you," Ava admitted, with a shrug and a smile.

When she looked back at her, Sara had gone soft, smiling as she came to sit down next to her and taking the mug Ava was holding.

"So I'm guessing that not everything is ready yet," She asked as Ava put an arm around her shoulders.

"Not yet," Ava said. "So why don't you and I just sit back and say good morning."

Sara sat the coffee on the nightstand. She leaned over to straddle Ava's lap and gave her a kiss. It was clear Sara was still sleepy and her lips reflected that.

"Good morning," she whispered, against Ava's skin.

"Good morning," Ava said, kissing Sara again.

"And to you too," she said, placing her hand on Sara's abdomen.

"It still doesn't feel real," Sara admitted.

"I know," Ava replied. "I think it just needs time. It will probably feel more real when you start showing."

Sara smiled at her and she placed her hand over Ava's. Then kissed her again, deeply this time, asking for something else. Sara slipped her hands under Ava's shirt, as Ava pulled her in. A knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come in," Sara said, rolling off her lap, despite Ava's quiet protest.

"Hey, you two," Dinah said, peeking her head in. "We're all set."

Sara nodded, untangled herself from Ava and getting up carefully.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Dinah said, as she pulled Sara in for a hug.

"Thanks, Mom," Sara said, holding her tight.

At the top of the stairs Ava and Dinah each took one of Sara's arms and Ava put her other arm around Sara's waist.

"Close your eyes," Ava said.

Sara gave her an unsure look, but closed her eyes as they lead her down the stairs. Everyone was crowded around the bottom step with the lights dimmed low. They all sported excited smiles as they eagerly waited for Sara.

They stopped on the last step which gave a good vantage point over everyone and Ava leaned in and whispered in Sara's ear. "Okay, open your eyes."

Sara opened them and was shocked and surprised to see her friends and family surrounding her. The downstairs area had been transformed from a Christmas wonderland into a proper birthday party scene. With not a single Christmas decoration in sight, pale yellow and white streamers and paper lanterns hung from the ceiling.

"Happy birthday." Everyone yelled.

Jax and Kendra were standing in front of her, holding up a birthday cake in the shape of the number four, for the years she had been alive since her resurrection, but with 32 birthday candles. Sara laughed at the cake and leaned forward to get a better view of it.

Ava watched with eager anticipation, studying Sara's face to make sure that she was happy with her surprise. Despite her love for a good party, Sara was not too eager to be surprised, so Ava almost never planned them, except for on the rare occasion when she really wanted to do something special. Ava started to sing the happy birthday song and soon everyone joined in. Sara stared in astonishment and leaned into Ava, who held her tighter.

"Go on, blow them out," Sin said, as the song ended and the cake was held up to her.

"And don't forget to make a wish!" Mona said, standing up on her to tippy toes in order to see.

Sara smiled and leaned forward, blowing out all the candles as everyone cheered.

Kendra was the first person to pull Sara in for a hug. holding her for several minutes before Sin demanded a turn. Sara then happily greeted Karen and Jax, scooping up Martina for a quick kiss. Although Dinah Laurel wasn't her sister, they had grown close the summer after Quentin died, and Sara was happy to see her and her girlfriend, Dinah. After Sara had said hello to everyone, Ava steered her towards the breakfast that was set out on the kitchen island as everyone formed a line behind them.

"Where'd the cake go," Sara asked, twisting around to see.

"You can eat it after breakfast," Ava insisted.

* * *

Roger, Kendra, and Nate's breakfast was a huge hit. For a moment Sara thought that they would never eat the amount of food that the three had prepared. Until she saw Mick and Zari going back for a third serving.

Dinah sr. carefully eyed Zari as she shoved a whole waffle into her mouth.

"Zari, why don't cut it in half. It'll last longer," Behrad suggested.

"Nah I'm gowood," she mumbled with a mouthful, as she tried to shove in another piece with butter and syrup dripping down her mouth.

"For heaven sakes Zari," Sara said. "Take smaller bites."

Zari just shrugged and continued to shove food into her mouth as if it's the first meal she's eaten in weeks, causing Charlie, who was sitting next to her, to laugh. Sara shook her head and set her plate on the table next to her.

"Present time!" Mona announced, giving a little shake to her gift before placing it in Sara's lap.

Sara tore off the paper to reveal a small stack of books, all of them were different genres and sizes. Some of them were romantic novels, other historical fiction, and crime dramas. Sara pulled the one from the bottom of the stack and placed it on top. It's a deep purple book with an outline of a crown in a broken mirror.

"Rejected Princesses," Sara said, with skepticism as she flipped open the book.

"It's the stories of badass women throughout history, some of them are my true heroines," Mona explained.

Sara takes her time to glance over several entries. "Wow, this is great Mona, thank you."

"I'm glad you like it," Mona beams as Sara reaches over to hug her.

"Oh me next," Ray said placing his onto the coffee table.

Everyone else pulled out their gifts and shoved them into Sara's face, insisting that she had to open their gift next.

"Okay stop," Ava yelled, pulling up her hands. "Make a line!"

"Nope," Sara said, interrupting her efforts. "Birthday girl gets to choose."

Sara reaches out for Kendra's present and her best friend happily gave it over. She pulled the tissues from the bag and pulls out the knife set. Sara took ahold of one of the sleek black handles, pulling out the knife and admiring the blade.

"You're always complaining that the ones on the Waverider and at Ava's are dull, boring, and I quote, 'couldn't kill a squirrel,' so thought I'd get you some that could."

Sara twirls the knife around in her hand before grabbing the tissue paper to test it out. She easily cuts the paper into strips, then squares. With each stroke of the knife, Sara's eyes lit up with glee.

Sara finally put the knife back into the block and reached over to hug Kendra, "Thank you."

"Mine next," Rory insisted, setting his heavy box into her lap.

He hadn't bothered to wrap it, but the box had "Captain's" burned onto the wood. Sara undid the latches and opened the top to reveal three bottles of whiskey, from Sara's favorite brand. Sara picked one up and inspected it checking the label and realizing how old it was.

"Damn," Sara said, unsure of how to accept it, no matter how much she wanted to. "Thanks Mick."

"We will have to save those for later," Ava said.

"You're not getting any," Sara joked with a smirk and winked at her. "Relax I'll save those for a special occasion."

Sara put it back in the case before handing it to Dinah sr. who took it away and the whole thing was laughed off, much to Sara's relief.

Most of the gifts Sara got were practical, but funny. Ray got her an amazing survival kit, where as Sin got her a ball of nothing and a book that said, 'punched today in the face.'

Sara looked up as the grandfather clock chimed noon. Her birthday cake was a third of what it used to be. Her presents had been opened and tissue paper was strewn around the floor. It was time for everyone else to enjoy Christmas.

They quickly replaced the Christmas decorations up around her birthday decor. Once the tree was back up and the presents placed underneath it again, the Legends passed around their gifts. Apparently, not celebrating said holiday meant nothing when it came to presents.

* * *

"Hey Mom," Sara said, coming around to sit next to her in her office, while everyone else was busy with their new toys.

"Hey Sweetheart," Dinah replied setting her book down, sensing that Sara wanted to talk.

Sara hesitated, unsure of what exactly she wanted to know. She felt a little lost herself entering out into this new territory of starting a family and felt like someone had taken a pair of scissors to the strings of her future.

"What was it like when you found out you were having Laurel? I mean, I know she was planned, but it must have been an adjustment."

"It was, I'm sure you know how it is, but the truth is that Laurel wasn't planned, she was a complete surprise. You were somewhat planned, but Laurel," Dinah shook her head.

"What?" Sara said, not quite believing it. "But you never said…"

"We never wanted you two to believe you weren't wanted," Dinah said. "Or that Laurel had ruined our plans."

Sara nodded, understanding her parents intentions and waited for her to continue. Dinah took a deep breath as she seemed to be collecting her thoughts before she continued.

"When I found out that I was pregnant with your sister, Quentin and I were not at all ready. We were living in a one bedroom apartment in the glades. Quentin had just graduated from the police academy and I was a year into my master's program, I had a job but it wasn't enough and Quentin was still looking for a precinct to hire him. Honestly, we didn't know how we were going to support a baby."

"But you did," Sara said.

"Yes, but it took a lot of luck and some good planning." Dinah said, and then she smiled. "I'll never forget the look on your father's face when I told him. Having you girls made him the happiest man alive."

Sara teared up at the thought of her father, and how happy he would be to know she was pregnant. He always talked about what he would do if he had grandkids. How he would retire and spoil them rotten.

"It was decided that I would finish my master's, as I could do that before Laurel was born. Quentin was able to get hired at the local precinct which was a decent paying job. When the time came, we felt right about bringing Laurel into the world. It wasn't easy though, he ended up on the night shift and I was gone most of the day so Laurel was in daycare a lot." Dinah said.

Sara listened to her mother. She had never known how hard it was for them. All she and Laurel had ever known was a happy, stable childhood. Her parents were not always around, as they worked long hours, leaving them at daycare or with a sitter and later on their own, but they had everything they could have ever needed or wanted. She never thought that there was a time in their lives when that had been different.

"I had to quit my job as a research assistant because I couldn't balance a job and being a mother and continuing with my doctorate. Things were tough for a few years. Quentin worked a lot and we didn't see each other and when we did we had Laurel to take care of, but we were happy. Then halfway through my doctorate program, I found out that we were having you. It wasn't until you were about two that things finally settled down. I was able to get a job as an assistant professor, Quentin finally got on the day shift, and life got better from there."

"I thought your parents left you some money when they died?" Sara asked. She had always assumed that that was how her parents had been able to support themselves throughout her mom's studies until she got hired at the university.

"They did, but Quentin and I agreed that it would go towards my degrees. We thought it was the best chance for me to get a good job, one where we could support a family comfortably."

"I never knew that," Sara said, astonished.

"I suppose I could have told you, I probably should have, but I'm telling you now," Dinah said, with a soft smile and Sara realized she was protecting her, by keeping this from her and Laurel until now.

"Thank you, Mom," Sara said, pulling her in for a hug. "I think I needed that."

"Are you worried about what it's going to be like when the baby comes?" Dinah asked, pulling away from her but still remaining close to Sara. She sat right next to her and held her hand.

"Kinda, I'm just not sure what to do about anything, parenting or otherwise. I don't even know what kind of crib to buy, let alone how much time I want to take off when the baby comes."

"You don't have to make any decisions right now, you can worry about them as they come. Even if you wait until you have that baby in your arms. I'll go out and get whatever crib, bassinet, or Moses basket you want." Dinah said, with a laugh they shared. "But whatever decision you make, don't spend your life regretting it."

"Do you regret going back to school right away after you had Laurel and me?" Sara asked.

"I do wish that I had spent more time with the both of you, I think you especially needed it. You had a pretty hard case of separation anxiety. Every time Quentin or I dropped you off at daycare you bawled. It broke our hearts every day."

"Really? I cried every day?" Sara asked. "I mean I remember hating it, but I don't remember that."

"Almost every day," Dinah said, as she looked away, caught in the memory. "I would sometimes stick around and watch from the window. You usually calmed down pretty quickly, as it was the initial separation that was hard. We hired a babysitter once you were in school and you did better with her."

Sara thought about what her mom had said, and she wondered if her disposition would carry over to her baby. She wanted to stay with them for a while, but she loved her work and so did Ava. If the baby was like her Sara knew it would be hard to put them in daycare. However, if they were like Ava maybe they would enjoy the independence and socialization. It was something she thought about a lot, whether the baby would be like her or Ava. She guessed about what a childhood would have been like for Ava, based on her personality.

"There you are," Kendra said, coming into the room. "We've got to get ready for the Hanukkah party. Please tell me you're going."

"I don't know," Sara said, despite the fact that she let Kendra drag her out of her seat.

"It'll be fun. I promise," Kendra insisted. "And if not I will personally take you home after they light the menorah."

Sara thought about it for a moment. "Okay fine, but you have to promise to stick with me."

"That'll be easy," Kendra said, as she linked her arm with Sara's.

"You girls have a good time," her mom called to them as they walked out of the room.

Sara felt bad that she had left her mom in the middle of their conversation as Kendra lead Sara into the hall and up the stairs. Before they reached the top, Roger waved them down.

"Hey, Sara, mind if I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Sara said walking back downstairs, not sure what to expect. She placed her hands on the banister and shuffled from one foot to the other. She didn't actually know Roger that well. He was just her mom's boyfriend, whom she occasionally saw when they got together. They had never gotten the chance to get to know each other.

"I know you're heading out to your Hanukkah celebration, so I won't keep you long."

"I want to let you know that I'm here for you," he said, placing his hands over hers and giving them a squeeze. "If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, I want you to call and I'll help you. Whether it's something little like coming up to help you two with the nursery or something bigger like staying with you while Ava's away on business. If there's something on your mind that is worrying you, give me a call and I'll try and help."

Sara wasn't sure what to say. She never expected him to reach out like this.

"Thank you," she said genuinely, realizing in that moment that she should make an effort to get to know him.

"Your mom and I," he added, "want to be a part of your new life."

Sara smiled and stepped around the banister, pulling him in for a hug.

"Thank you," she said again.

"Don't mention it," he said once they parted. "That's what family's for."

* * *

"Hey," Kendra greeted her once Sara had slipped into the room. "What do you think? The red one or the black one?"

She pointed to two similar dresses laid out on the bed. Both were more casual with a similar style. Kendra stood over them, her hands on her hips, dressed only in her underwear and bra, as Sara tore off her shirt and pants. They were used to seeing each other in states of undress, as they often changed together in the fabrication room when she lived on the Waverider.

"Red always looks nice on you," Sara said, as she sat on the bed. She noticed the stretch marks across Kendra's belly from when she had been pregnant with Hector; Sara wondered how her body would change as her pregnancy progressed.

Kendra picked up the red dress and put it on, tying it closed around the front. "Is everything okay with you? you seen off."

Kendra set her sights on her and Sara knew that she wouldn't be able to brush her off. "I'm pregnant, six weeks tomorrow."

Kendra's face changed in an instant from concern to excitement as she sat down next to Sara and pulled her in for a hug. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you, and Ava too!"

"Thanks," Sara said, hugging her back with just as much force. "It's just very new and unexpected."

"Unexpected how?" Kendra asked.

"Well, there was this toy we got..." Sara said, as she explained her babies miraculous conception.

After she had finished Kendra's just nodded and said, "I can't believe you got pregnant the first time you had sex with that thing."

"According to Gideon, I have the fertility of a rabbit and it wasn't the first time."

Kendra laughed and then immediately put her hand over her mouth, stifling her giggles. "I'm sorry honey, but that's hilarious."

Sara laughed too. "Yeah, I laughed too when they told me that. Needless to say, that toy is going back in the box and being shoved in the back of my closet for the foreseeable future."

Kendra put down her hand and laughed with Sara joining in. They giggled on the bed for several minutes, as Sara leaned in and Kendra hugged her. Unlike telling her Mom, telling Kendra felt different. They had been best friends for the last four years and although they had drifted apart after Kendra left the Waverider, they had both made an effort to get back together a few years ago, talking and texting regularly. Sara had been there to support Kendra when she gave birth to Hector and she knew that Kendra would be there for her as well.

"So have you been to an OB yet?" Kendra asked.

"Yeah, we met with Miranda a couple days ago and she's agreed to work with us. I think it will be really good," Sara said.

"Miranda is very good."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that she delivered Hector."

"She was straight forward and calm, then tough and strict when I needed her to be," Kendra said, getting up and going over to the closet where Sara had stored her clothes. "Here, wear this."

Kendra pulled out one of Sara's more comfortable dresses, a navy blue t-shirt dress with long sleeves. Sara easily pulled it on and went over to her dresser to grab a couple of longer necklaces.

"How was your nausea?" Sara asked, turning around with a pair of earrings for Kendra. "I've just had a little, but I read it's supposed to get worse."

"Well..."

* * *

"Happy Birthday!" Felicity said, enveloping Sara in a warm hug. She was the first person to greet her when they arrived at Star Labs.

"Thank you, Felicity, Happy Hanukkah!" Sara said, hugging her back.

"Hey stranger," Oliver said, once Felicity let her go.

"Hey you," Sara said, leaning over to hug him too.

In the corner of her eye, Sara saw Felicity greet Kendra and Ava before Oliver pulled back to greet them as well. They were just in time to gather around the table as Barry and Felicity lead the ceremony, reciting the blessing in Hebrew and lighting the Menorah.

Afterwards, they brought out the food and drink and everyone lost their chocolate to Ray, the dreidel champion. She and Ava spoke with Felicity and Oliver for a little while before they went to talk to Jax and Lily. It seemed that everybody from the multiverse had been invited as Sara waved at Alex and Kara, who were with their group of friends across the room. Sara let Kendra lead her around the party before they settled on one of the couches, sparking up a conversation with Barry and Iris.

Sara placed her hand on Ava's knee as it bounced next to her. Ava usually loved parties, taking the opportunity to talk to everyone and show off a little. However, it seemed that Ava's worries prevented her from enjoying herself, or leaving Sara's side.

"Ava, you don't have to stay with me the whole time," Sara said, leaning over to whisper to her. "Why don't you go find Nora?"

"No, I'm fine," Ava said, brushing her off. So Sara tried a more direct approach.

"Ava, I think I saw Nora sneaking off. Why don't you go check on her?" Sara asked, offering Ava an out. She knew Nora hated parties and would probably seclude herself in a quiet corner.

"No, I'm sure Ray's keeping an eye on her," Ava said, placing her hand over Sara's and giving it a squeeze.

"Our Nora or your Nora?" Iris asked. Barry and she looked around, and Sara remembered that their daughter was named Nora as well.

"Nora Darhk."

"Oh good," Barry said, with a sigh of relief. "She just started crawling and we keep wondering when her super speed is going to appear."

"Didn't you guys say she wouldn't get her powers until she reached puberty?" Kendra asked.

"Yes, but there's always the possibility that they could develop early," Iris explained.

"I remember when Hector sprouted his wings," Kendra nodded, as they started talking about their super powered children.

"Sara, is something wrong? Are you mad at me?" Ava asked, whispering and leaning towards her.

"It's just that you're... hovering," Sara said, not meeting her eyes. "I know you don't mean to, but you are."

"I just worry about you and…" Ava trailed off, looked down and Sara's middle.

"Ava," Sara whispered. "Go find Nora. I'm fine, the baby's fine, and I've got Kendra. She knows and she'll keep me company. Not that I can't look out for myself."

"Okay," Ava said. "But do you need anything before I go?"

"You're sweet to worry," and despite the affectionate look she sent Ava she continued, "but I swear to god if you keep hovering…"

"Okay, okay," Ava nodded getting the picture. She got up and pressed out her dress shirt, looking back at Sara before she walked away.

* * *

It wasn't hard for her to find Nora. She was tucked away on the roof with a blanket and a warm cup of tea, looking up at the stars.

"Mind if I join you?" Ava asked.

"Not at all," Nora said, adjusting the blanket so that Ava could sit down next to her.

"Where's Ray?" Ava asked.

"He's downstairs talking to Cisco and Felicity about some science experiment or something computer related. Sara?"

"Same, but with Kendra, Barry, and Iris and I'm pretty sure they're not talking nerd," Ava said, earning a snort form Nora. "She shooed me away. Apparently, I've been a little overprotective the past few days."

Nora laughed. "I can't imagine why."

"It's just that with the baby, Sara's the one doing all the hard work. I feel like there's nothing for me to do except watch over her and make sure she's okay."

"Sara's a big girl Aves," Nora said, elbowing her. "She can take care of herself."

"I know," Ava said."But she shouldn't have to, not while I'm here. I read in all those pregnancy books that Sara is supposed to get more nauseous and tired starting next week and I know she won't be up to doing a lot. I'll have to step up and take care of things."

"And that's good that you're doing that," Nora said. "But nobody likes to be smothered, even you."

"You're right. This time," she added, catching Nora's smug look. She had been hovering, she and Sara had been together for the entire week. She should give her some space and some time alone with her friends. "So how was your vacation with Ray?"

Nora smiled and her eyes filled with love. "It was great. Ray and I went to a lodge up in Canada. Ray's never been skiing and I haven't gone since I was a kid, but to be honest we didn't get out all that much."

"Oh really?" Ava teased, causing Nora to laugh.

"Not like that, we just watched a bunch of movies and hung out for the week. It was nice to spend some time alone, just the two of us."

"Yeah," Ava agreed.

They both fell silent as they sipped their drinks and stared up at the sky. Nora must have been using her magic because it didn't feel nearly as cold around them as it should have been. Then, the door burst open behind them and they both whipped around to see who had found their hiding spot.

"There you are," Mona said, carrying a bottle of champagne and a couple of glasses. "I've been looking all over for you two. The first night I get to see you after you get back from your vacations and you two sneak off without even saying hello. What am I, chopped liver?"

"Of course not," Ava said making room for her on the blanket.

"Good, because I got our favorite," Mona said waving around the bottle. That was indeed their favorite choice of champagne.

She handed the glasses to Ava and poured them a drink, then passed the glasses around, the bubbles spilling over the edges.

"Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah," Mona said.

"And Happy New Year," Nora said, bring the glasses together for a toast.

"Speaking of New Years, if you guys don't have any other plans, Nate said his mom had this cool place overlooking Time Square. Since she'll be in DC for New Year's, Dot said he and Behrad could stay there and have a few friends over."

"I'm in," Nora said immediately.

"I don't know," Ava said, weary to go anywhere she wasn't officially invited.

"Don't worry, Ava, he was already inviting the other Legends when I left to go find you two."

"I'll check with Sara and see," Ava said.

Her phone dinged and she looked at the banner to reveal a text from Sara asking if they wanted to spend New Year's in New York.

"Looks like we're going," she said texting Sara back.

"Yes," Mona cheered.

* * *

January 1, 2020, 12:01 AM.

Ava rubbed Sara's back as she sat next to her on the bathroom floor, watching the New Year's streamers fall outside the bedroom window. Sara was leaning over the toilet and breathing heavily, her forehead resting on her arm.

"Do you think that's the last of it?" Ava asked.

Before Sara could reply she leaned forward and vomited again, but this time there was nothing left, just water and bile.

"I think that's the last of it," Sara said, she looked over at Ava completely exhausted.

Ava grabbed the warm rag they had been using and folded it over to a clean side as Sara spit into the bowl. She wiped Sara's mouth as she sat back on her knees.

"Do you want some water?" Ava asked, already getting up to grab her cup by the sink. She looked back and Sara nodded.

"And my toothbrush," Sara added.

Sara put down the toilet seat down and gently turned around to sit down. Ava immediately dropped the cup and rushed to her side to help her up. She put some toothpaste on Sara's brush and handed it to her, along with a cup of water. Sara hesitated for a moment and Ava thought she would vomit again until Sara gently began to brush her teeth.

When she was finished, Sara looked up at her and Ava knew that all she wanted to do was collapse in her arms. She crouched down to her level and Sara pushed herself into Ava's arms, forcing Ava to sit back down on the bathroom floor.

She enveloped Sara, who immediately let out a deep sigh. Ava let herself relax and looked back out the window at the fireworks that had replaced the falling streamers. She could still hear someone playing Auld Lang Syne and Ava joined in, humming along as she rubbed circles into Sara's back.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to watch the ball drop and kiss," Sara said, looking up at her.

"Don't be," Ava said, cupping her face and reaching forward to gently kiss her. Sara's lips tasted like the bubblegum toothpaste she insisted on using. She knew Sara didn't have the energy for a proper make out so Ava pulled away. "There, now we've had our New Year's kiss."

Sara's soft smile just touched her eyes as she turned around and leaned back against Ava. She grabbed ahold of Ava's hand and placed it over her belly.

"I guess, with the baby, we'll just have to figure out new ways to celebrate the holidays."

"Hey," Ava said, softly lifting Sara's chin, to look up at her. "I don't care how we spend the holidays, so long as I'm with you and this little one."

She squeezed Sara's hand over her belly; she still wasn't showing, but that didn't stop Ava from placing her hand over Sara's jeans all the time.

"You're such as sap," Sara teased closing her eyes and leaning back against her.

"Only for you, my love," Ava said placing a kiss to her forehead. "Do you wanna go back to the bed or sleep here tonight?"

"Let's sleep in the bed," Sara said. "We've slept on the bathroom floor twice this week."

Ava nodded and gently helped her get up, wrapping her arm around Sara's waist. Once they were standing, she led her into the bedroom. Sara crawled onto the bed as soon as they reached it, curling up on the blankets.

Ava grabbed a pair of pajamas for Sara tossing them onto the bed. When she got no response from her, she looked over to see that Sara was already asleep. She gently removed Sara's party clothes and pulled the nightshirt over her head, something Ava had done a few times before, but more often in the past week. Sara had developed a tendency to fall asleep whenever she laid down, and was well and truly out, as she didn't even stir until Ava tucked her in.

Ava went over her own nightly routine before crawling in next to Sara. She lay awake for several minutes and listened to the party that continued down the hall. At the beginning of each year, she always liked to think about all the thing she had accomplished. She thought about all the wonderful new things in her life and where she wanted to go in the future.

However, in that moment all she could think about was the baby growing in Sara's belly. It made her feel anxious and excited at the same time and it was all she could think about these days. God, she was so excited about everything that this baby meant to her. As she fell asleep, her mind was filled with baby things, the things she would get, the things she wanted to do, and the day she would finally hold them in her arms.


	3. I Wanna Come Home to You Too

January 17, 2020. Week Nine.

Zari walked down the hall of the Waverider towards the lab for group training. It was late in the afternoon, and she was headed to team training as it specified on Ray's stupid schedule.

Ray was the one who insisted on a schedule, Sara didn't care but, thought it would be good for them. Their captain was usually worried about everybody's needs not whether they shower during their allotted time. Zari hated the bathroom schedule most of all because fifteen minutes was not enough time to have a nice long shower, use the toilet and brush her teeth and let alone do her hair.

Ray set times for events, breakfast, lunch, dinner, training, chores, and so on. He would put them on a nine to five work schedule if he could because so long as Ray was on this ship he would enforce his stupid chore chart and group itinerary.

"Hey, love, wait up," Charlie said, sprinted towards her in fishnets and a plaid skirt.

Zari paused to wait for her to catch up, then continued walking in step with her. Once they were side by side, Charlie hooked her arm around Zari's.

"Are you working out in that?" Zari asked, looking down at Charlie's latest punk rock outfit. Compared to Zari's long black and gray hooded jacket and loose workout pants.

"Of course not," Charlie said, shape shifting it into a pair of black leggings with red ribbed sides, but keeping her band tee shirt.

Zari shook her head as they opened the door to the lab.

"What? Are you just jealous or turned on?" Charlie teased her, elbowing her side.

"No," Zari said exasperated. "Why can't you just change like a normal person?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"You two talking magic?" Constantine asked, from where he was lounging against the doorway to the lab.

Zari was surprised that he had traded out his usual tie and trench coat for a gray t-shirt and flamboyant blue pants with a bright yellow stripe down the side.

"Zari here wants to get me undressed."

"No, I just think it's weird that you change in the middle of the halls."

"Oh, do you even have to put on clothes or can you change into whatever you think of?" John asked, pushing off from the wall and walking over to them.

"Usually I just pick something that I've seen before," Charlie said. "I've never really tried putting on something from my imagination."

Charlie seemed to concentrate as she closed her eyes. Zari caught the change in her appearance as the top she was wearing started to change. Her shirt pulled away from the loose style she had on into tighter workout shirt. However, before she could finish her transformation, Mick came storming into the hall and squeezed past them into the lab, interrupting her.

"Let's get this over with," he gruffed. Never one for their group activities.

Ray was already there with Nora, having moved the lab equipment aside and put the more delicate items away, replacing them with mats and boxing bags. He was currently on the floor doing a series of pushups while Nora lounged on his back.

Nora was in sensible work out clothes a black shirt and matching leggings. While Ray had decided to don a more personal look, one Zari thought was influenced by his childhood. He wore a pair of loose short shorts, a gray cut off tank top, and blue sweatbands around his wrist and forehead.

"Hey, you guys ready for a warm up?" Nora asked.

The three of them filtered into the lab as Nora got off Ray's back and he jumped up with his usual enthusiasm.

"Is everybody here?" Ray asked, looking around.

"Where's Sara?" Mick asked.

"Not here," Charlie said, crossing her arms. "How come she gets to skip out on these things?" She was referring to the many times over the past few weeks that Sara had failed to show up for team training or had left early. Giving them all some vague excuse.

"She doesn't skip training," Ray insisted. "I'm sure she just got caught up in something and forgot about the time."

"You all know how Sara loves to work out, but she hasn't been feeling well, so she probably just decided to skip this one," Nora said, covering for her.

"She's been skipping out on a lot more than training sessions," Constantine said.

"Yeah," Charlie added. "When was the last time either you saw her in the galley. Ray's the one who's always going on and on about how eating dinner together builds team relationships."

"Are we really gonna sit around here and talk about Sara?" Nora asked, knowing that if they continued they would jump to some wrong conclusion. They were smart in the field, but dumb as a pile of bricks when it came to what was going on around them.

"No we are not," Ray said, turning around and picking up one of the weighted balls. "We are going to play hot potato."

His enthusiastic announcement was met with groans and whines. Regardless he passed the ball to Zari who quickly threw it to Charlie, starting the round.

* * *

Ava looked up from the mission report as a loud snore broke the usual quiet in her office. Sara was sprawled across the couch next to her door. With her arms hanging up above her head over the armrest and one leg hanging off the side, Sara was passed out. A few minutes earlier, she had portaled into Ava's office, reaching for the nearest trash can. Unfortunately, she was unable to make it had vomited on the carpet.

Ava rushed to her side, Sara had sat down on the couch and started crying. She explained that she had tried to portal into the bathroom after becoming nauseous in the hallway of the Waverider.

"I'm so sorry," she had said, sniffling.

"No, babe it's okay," Ava had said, rubbing Sara's arms. "Why don't you lie down and I'll clean it up."

Sara had just nodded and curled up on the couch as Ava put a blanket over her and quickly cleaned up the mess.

Ava continued to watch her as Sara kicked the blanket and her snoring went back to its usual low sound. Ava shook her head, smiling to herself, and looked back at her reports. A few moments later she heard a commotion outside her door.

"Gary, wait," Rip yelled, just before her door burst open and Gary waltzed in followed closely by Rip.

"Oh, Director Sharpe," Gary sang ignoring the fact that her blinds were closed, the subtle sign they had all agreed on, for when she didn't want to be disturbed.

"Shh Gary!" She hissed, standing up and looking over at Sara who hadn't stirred.

"Sorry," he whispered, following her line of sight.

Rip gave her an apologetic smile and put his hand on Gary's shoulder.

"I just got so excited because the review for the magical creature containment department has come in and we scored an A-," Gary whispered. "I mean not an actual A- it's a 4.6 rating, but I always preferred letter grades and I know you do too."

"Oh, thank god," Ava said, breathing a sigh of relief.

The review had taken place a few months earlier, and the DOD had gone over the entire department with a fine tooth comb. Reviewing every magical creature, every dollar spent, and every employee. Scrutinizing them to an insane degree. Making both Mona and Gary cry on several occasions, which was the worst thing they could possibly do in Ava's mind.

"That's great you guys, why don't we go and give everyone the good news. I'm sure Mona will be delighted to hear this" Ava said.

She put away her papers and grabbed her jacket, then looked back at Sara sleeping peacefully and locked her door. When she was leaving Mona's office, after a hug and some celebratory cupcakes, she received a text from Sara saying that she had left for the Waverider. Upon returning to her office, Ava found her blanket tangled up on the floor. It had probably gotten caught up in Sara's feet when she got up. Ava picked it up and folded it, putting it away for later, knowing Sara would be back for another nap.

* * *

January 20, 2020. Week Nine.

Sara sniffed, there was a terrible smell coming from down the hall. She sniffed again and let her nose lead the way into the kitchen. Throwing open the fridge door, she started pulling things out and setting them on the counter. The pungent smell had been wreaking havoc on her nose and turning her stomach. She found the old meatloaf that had started to mold and immediately disposed of it while trying not to gag. While she was there, she threw out a few more things that had started to stink. Wiping down the shelves as well.

Zari sighed and leaned against the doorway to the galley as Ray stood next to her smiling. They had followed Sara around the deck for the better part of the day as she sniffed out every stinky sock, forcing them to clean the ship from the bottom to the top.

"This is the worst," Zari said, recalling how she had been forced to cancel her morning video game tournament.

"I think it's nice that someone else around here is finally realizing that this place could use a good cleaning," Ray said.

"You just say that because you're the only one she didn't ask to clean their room."

"That's not true, it's just nice to have someone else bugging you guys to clean this place."

"You can say it," Zari said, rolling her eyes.

"A clean and orderly room is a happy room," Ray smiled.

"And a happy room equals a happy you," Zari finished. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before."

Ray scoffed and they continued to watch as Sara went through the shelves, having already offered her help and been pushed out of the way.

"What's going on?" Mick asked. He had seen Zari and Ray standing in the galley and stopped to see the commotion. Thus far, he had escaped Sara's cleaning whirlwind.

"Sara's throwing away all the bad leftovers," Zari said.

"She didn't get my meatloaf, did she?" He asked, stomping into the kitchen.

Sara wordlessly let him pass to see the fridge, as she went through the condiments in the door. He looked to where he had last stored it in the corner and was surprised to see that it was gone. Mick looked over to the counter to see all the containers she had lying out but, spotted his empty tupperware in the sink.

"You threw out my meatloaf!" he yelled, picking up the empty container, letting the soap and water spill out.

"I'm sorry, Mick, but it was way too old, the whole fridge smells like moldy meat," Sara said, getting up from where she had been kneeling on the floor.

"Yeah, well this whole place smells like burnt lavender," he said, referring to the cleaner she had been using. "Why are you doing this? First, you spend all your time over at Ava's. Then, when you come back you turn this place upside down and throw out my leftovers."

"I'm sorry, Mick, but this place stinks and we need to clean it."

"Is this 'cause you're sick?" he asked, growing calm.

Sara looked over his shoulder at Ray and Zari, who quickly skedaddled and Gideon shut the door behind them. Sara sighed, Nora had told her they were getting suspicious. Throwing around ideas about what was going on. Mostly just about her slacking off, so she hadn't thought much of it.

Sara wanted to tell them what was going on, but she also wanted to keep it a secret. Sara didn't want them to look at her differently or think that she was unable to do her job as their Captain. She knew how they'd worry but, she didn't realize that they were already worrying.

"I'm not stupid," he said.

"I know you're not," she quickly replied getting up.

"But I know you've been puking and sleeping. You're not interested in exercising or eating with us anymore and you're always over at Ava's, so what gives?"

Sara quickly weighed the pros and cons in her head. There was a part of her that wanted to keep it a secret. They had been planning on telling everyone in a few weeks time with a nice sit down dinner and a long explanation.

On the other hand, she wanted to tell him. Although everybody assumed that Mick had trouble keeping a secret, he was a thief and he knew how to keep things on the down low. She was sure that if she did tell him he wouldn't tell a soul. Sara trusted Mick and she knew that he'd have her back.

"I'm pregnant," she said. "It's Ava's."

He stared at her and blinked, looking down at her stomach then back up to her face.

"You don't look preggers."

Sara scrunched up her nose, not fond of the word. "I'm not that far along. Only about two and a half months."

"Huh," he said, thinking it over, as he leaned against the kitchen island.

Sara hopped up on the kitchen counter and let Mick slowly process everything.

"Are you gonna retire or something?" he asked.

"No," she said. "But, I will be taking a few months off."

"I guess I'm supposed to say congratulations or something."

"Thanks, I think," she said, smiling as he smirked at her.

"I got your back, Blondie, and I'll tell the others not to worry," he said pushing off from the counter and coming over to pat her knee.

Sara smiled. "Thanks, I've already got Ava worrying about me."

"But I'm not cleaning my room."

"You can't get out of this," she yelled as he was walking away. Sara smiled as she watched him go, knowing that he was on her side no matter what.

* * *

January 23, 2020. Week Ten.

Ava drove home, on time for once, through the gray streets. The weather hasn't decided if it wanted to rain or snow, so a mix of both fell from the dark clouds, making the day seem shorter. She decided to do something nice for Sara and stopped by the grocery store.

She would usually get wine and something sweet, but things were different now. Sara usually crawled home from the Waverider to her couch. She wasn't in the mood for date nights, much less having sex. Ava had resolved to let Sara set the mood, in the meantime, she supported her by picking up crackers and oatmeal. However, Ava decided to get at least one special thing and went down another aisle, picking up some sparkling cider and heading to the checkout.

The house was quiet when she got home, lazy and warm she could feel it as she kicked off her boots in the entryway. Ava carried the groceries into the open area to see that Sara was already home. Curled up on her couch and playing on her phone, she looked up as Ava entered the room.

"Hello," she said, giving her a warm smile.

She was wrapped up in a blanket and had started a fire, the flames crackling. The overhead lights were off as Sara had turned on the lamps and kitchen lights, while a few unlit candles were placed on the tables around the room. Something told her that Sara had started to plan a more intimate night.

"Hey you," Ava said, staring at her with suspicion.

She walked away briefly to put the groceries down on the table. Then looked around the kitchen as a sweet smell of rosemary, thyme, and warm bread filled the room. Ava looked over to the bread maker on the counter and peaked in the top, to see the golden yellow loaf. Ava followed her nose to the crockpot to see soup warming in the pot. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the scent, nothing made her happier than the smell of good food.

Ava grabbed the crackers and cider, then walked back over to Sara. She sat down on the coffee table and placed them next to her. Sara put down her phone as Ava leaned down for a kiss, Sara's hand cupped Ava's face forcing her to linger there.

"Everything smells delicious," Ava said, finally pulling back, but leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.

"Thanks," Sara said. "I got the Gnocchi soup going in the crockpot this morning. I was gonna make bread, but I was too tired so I kinda just threw everything in the bread maker and pressed start."

Ava smiled at her, leaning closer to press their foreheads together and pressed a kiss to Sara's cheek.

"Was there anything special you wanted to do tonight?" Ava was referring to the romantic touches Sara had made around the room. However, the sight of Sara sleepy eyed and snuggled in Ava's pajamas on the coach told her the night would take a more relaxing turn. Something she was happy to partake in after a dreary day.

"Well…" Sara said giving Ava a cheeky smile and shifting her eyes away.

"You want to watch Swamp thaaaaaang again," Ava guessed.

"Yes."

"Alright," Ava said, getting up. "But, let's eat first."

She pulled out a tray and two bowls, as she heard Sara queue up the movie. The bread was done and she pulled it out and cut them each a hefty slice. When she brought the tray over and placed it on the coffee table, Sara sat up as Ava passed her a bowl. Sara scooted over and Ava cuddled up next to her as they started the movie.

As they finished their meal, Sara laid down on her back and Ava moved to lay behind her, propping up her head with her elbow. As far as the movie went it wasn't that bad, at least the evil counselor who looked like her from the fourth and fifth versions wasn't in this sequel.

Ava found her mind drifting off as the movie continued past the first act. She thought about what Miranda had said, about the genetic testing. There was a possibility that there was nothing in her genes that would cause genetic disability, but her DNA was based on that of other women. Real women, who could possibly have carried any number of unknown genetic dispositions. The chances of one matching up with those in Sara's history or passing on something of her own were too great to ignore. They wouldn't have the babies first genetic test until Sara's next appointment, several weeks away. If she wanted to know now, she would have to take the test herself.

She couldn't live with herself in the unknown. It scared her too much and kept her up at night. Although she lived with it to some extent in her work and life, this was different. She had the chance to find out the truth and ignoring it felt like it had already done some harm to their child.

"Ava? Earth to Director Sharpe?" Sara waved a cracker in front of her face and finally caught her attention.

"Huh, what?" she asked.

"I asked if you could turn down the volume?" Sara asked bringing her back to the moment.

"Oh yeah," Ava said grabbing the remote and turning it down.

"What's got you so distracted?" Sara asked. "I know you don't like these movies but… Is everything okay at work?"

"Yeah everything's fine," Ava said. "I was just thinking about what Miranda said, about the genetic testing."

"Yeah," Sara said, moving her hand back to rub Ava's neck, her fingers threading through the hair at the back of Ava's neck.

"I think it would be good. I don't want to go into this blind. I think we should know everything that could possibly happen. If there was any possibility of anything I want to be prepared," Ava said, sure of her decision.

She looked down and placed her hand on Sara stomach. As much research as she could do and as much as she could learn. She wasn't the one growing their baby inside of her. It scared her not knowing what could happen if something went wrong.

The genetic test was something she could do. It would help them see any possibilities that could occur. She always liked to have everything laid out before making a decision. Now the decision was already made for her and she would have to live with the consequences regardless. At least, with the test, she would know what they could be facing.

Sara placed her hand over Ava's and pulled her in for a kiss. "I know that whatever the results say, whatever happens with our baby, we're going to take care of them and love them no matter what."

"I know," Ava said. "I'm going to call Miranda in the morning and see if we can set it up as soon as possible."

"Sounds good," Sara said, smiling up at her. It wasn't long before Ava stretched and yawned sinking further into the couch.

Ava looked down at her, as Sara turned back to the movie. Her eyes were bright and her skin glowed under the lights. She was healthy and happy and whole and their child was safe inside of her.

Sara caught her staring and raised her eyebrows. She reached up and cupped Ava's face running her thumb along Ava's cheekbone. Ava detected the cheeky twinkle in her eyes as Sara leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Sara brought her hand back up to cup Ava's face before pushing her hair back and moving her lips down her jaw. Ava stopped breathing as their mood changed. She brought her hands to Sara's hips, sipping her hands under her shirt and playing with the waistband of her sweat pants.

"What do you want Baby?" Ava whispered in her ear.

"You." Sara's word came out as a breath filled moan.

She moved her knee over Sara's waist as Sara crashed their lips together. The credits rolled as new snow started to fall, leaving heavy flakes to dance across their windows.

* * *

After their coitus on the couch, they had crawled upstairs and Sara was asleep before Ava finished brushing her teeth. Ava found herself tossing and turning and after an hour she sat up and pulled out the book Mona had given her and Sara last week. Sara moaned from beside her and Ava looked over her reading glasses.

Sara blinked and squinted in the lamplight. "Hey."

"Hey," Ava said, leaned over to kiss Sara's forehead. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"That's okay, I was dreaming of the sabertooth tiger and Gertrude meeting at a cafe and it was getting to be a little too weird."

"Who's Gertrude?"

"Amaya's t-rex," Sara said. with a yawn. "Why are you up, and getting lost in...The Passion of Paperwork?"

"I couldn't sleep," Ava said, holding up her arm as Sara cuddled into her side.

Sara shrugged and hummed, she closed her eyes and settled on Ava's chest. Ava smiled at her soft features and moved the book away from Sara, holding it up in one hand. Things lapse into silence save for the sound of rustling paper and Sara's light snores, as Ava read.

"Ava?" Sara whispered, half asleep.

"Yeah?" She replied, putting her bookmark in, expecting Sara to ask her to go to sleep.

"I think I'm gonna throw up."

She was not expecting that. Ava jumped up and ran to the bathroom where the puke bowl was only to hear the sound of vomit, telling her she was too late. She rushed back to find Sara inching back away from the mess in front of her and getting closer to the edge. Ava put the bowl in Sara's lap and picked her up with one arm under her back and the other under her knees, doing her best not to jostle her.

"It's okay, sweetie," Ava said, carrying her to the bathroom and setting her down on the gray rug.

Sara leaned over the bowl and threw up again, as Ava gathered her hair into a bun. She rubbed Sara's back as she hung her head over the bowl. Then reached for the cup of water on the counter.

"Do you want some water?" Ava asked

"I want to go back to sleep," Sara replied, frustrated and angry.

"Where's your sea band?" Ava asked. Sara held up her wrist displaying the band before leaning over the bowl again.

Ava adjusted its position and rubbed her back again only to have Sara shrug her off. She leaned back against the bathroom wall and waited, her heart aching for Sara. Ava wished there was some magic cure that she could give to her.

Ava went back into the room to grabbed Sara's favorite throw blanket from the chair. Along with some ginger and peppermint morning sickness candy. Ava sat back down behind Sara and waited. Once Sara had emptied her stomach and was coughing up bile, she collapsed back into Ava who wrapped the blanket around her. She flushed the toilet and grabbed the cup she had filled.

"Here have some water?"

Sara nodded as Ava brought the cup to her lips. Sara rinsed her mouth and set the cup on the floor.

"Do you want your ginger or peppermint candy?"

"Peppermint."

Ava handed her the candy and Sara ripped off the packaging.

"Did you grabbed my pillow?" Sara asked, looking around the room.

"No," Ava said, placing a hand on her back. "Did you want to sleep in here."

"No, can we go back to bed?"

"Yeah just let me get some new sheets, okay."

Sara nodded and shuffled off her lap to sit against the tub.

Ava gave her a once over and tucked the blanket more securely around Sara. She placed a kiss on her forehead and walked back into the bedroom. The down comforter had taken most of the vomit and it didn't look like she had to change the sheets after all. Her book, however, was not so lucky. Ava had abandoned it when she rushed into the bathroom and it had ended up in the splash zone, and Ava didn't bother to try and save it. She could order Mona a new one later.

She gathered up everything, before going to the cabinet up to pull out the spare one and spreading it over the bed. She peeked into the bathroom and Sara gave her a slight smile, but was still in the same position that Ava had left her. "Hey, I got the bed ready for you."

Sara nodded and Ava helped her up and guiding her into bed and tucking her in.

"Is there anything else you need?" Ava asked. "I'm going to go throw the comforter into the wash."

"No," Sara said, looking up at her with big blue eyes and the little pout.

"I'll be back soon, and we can both go to bed okay," Ava said.

Sara nodded, still pouting as Ava placed a kiss to her forehead. Then walked downstairs and outside to throw the book in the garbage. She washed off the vomit and stuffed the comforter into the machine with detergent, trusting that the machine to work its magic.

Ava opened the door to their room to reveal Sara mid yawn, stretching her arms out to the side and arching her back like a cat. Ava smiled at the sight and crawled into bed beside her. Sara closed her mouth and blinked up at her, before snuggling into her side with another small yawn as she nuzzled Ava's collarbone.

"Did you finish the book?" Sara asked.

"I'm all yours," Ava said.

"Good," Sara said. She relaxed against Ava as she wrapped her arms around Sara. They settled into sleep despite the lamp on the bedside table remaining on.

* * *

January 26th, 2020. Week Ten.

Charlie walked down the hall of the Waverider with fresh snacks piled in her arms. She pulled out a gummy worm from the bag that was snuggled in the crook of her arm and took a bite. She had narrowly escaped Sara's cleaning frenzy last week by locking the door to her room and bribing Zari to change the override code. This left her sneaking around to avoid any trouble, she'd get around to cleaning her room later. It's not like Sara went anywhere near there.

As she turned down the hall to Zari's room, she watched Mick stroll out of the bathroom. He gave her a nod as he walked past, stealing one of the beers from the carton in her hand. She would have stopped him, had she not been overwhelmed by the smell. For the first time since she met him, Mick smelled fresh. Like pine and oak wood which was definitely Ray's signature scent. She turned her head to watch him walk down the hall and back into his room, the scent lingering in the hall.

She quickly ran into Zari's room and dumped all of the candy on to Z's coffee table. "You'll never guess what I just saw in the hall."

"You finally noticed that I added googly eyes to Lil' Gideon?"

"No, wait you did that? I thought those were always part of it, never mind," Charlie said, shaking her head. "I just saw Mick coming out of the bathroom smelling fantastic, if I do say so myself."

Zari snorted not bothering to look up from her game.

"Don't believe me? Why don't you go see for yourself," Charlie said, crossing her arms.

Zari finally looked and paused her game. "Fine, but only because I was just about to go over there and give him back the latest chapters of his novel."

She put down her controller and picked up the stack of papers on her nightstand. Then walked out of the room.

Charlie grabbed the controller and exited the game, pulling out her guitar controller to play Guitar Hero. One of the few games Charlie actually excelled at, managing to go toe-to-toe with Zari as they competed for the top score.

"Put it back!" Zari said, from down the hall.

Charlie pouted, but switched back to Zari's game and continued where she had left off.

* * *

Zari walked down the hall, not entirely sure what she should expect upon walking into Rory's room. For the entire three years that she had known him, he had rarely if ever cleaned his room. The place was a breeding ground for bacteria, in a dump of dishes, sweat. Although, he did do laundry. She couldn't fault him for the occasional mess as her room often fell into disarray, but she was always sure to clean it up before it became a swamp bog. Ray running around the ship with a duster and mop, encouraging them to do them same helped.

Gideon let her in and she wasn't surprised to find his room in its usual disarray. With clothes scattered all over the floor, pens, white out, and typewriter ink strewn on his desk. However, the shelves had been dusted, his bed had fresh sheets, and the room and an air of cleanliness. Rory was sitting in his chair cleaning his Heat Gun and he smelled sweet, just as Charlie had described it.

"I finished the last two chapters you gave me," she said, walking in and placing them neatly on his desk.

She couldn't quite believe her own nose as the scent of Ray's soap and their usual citrus cleaner filled the air. The bottle and rag sitting on the shelf next to him.

"Thanks," he said, not looking up.

"I see you've been cleaning up around here," she said, rolling onto her toes to get a better look over his shelves.

"Yeah well, Haircut threatened to turn off the alcohol settings if I didn't tidy up a bit," he said blaming Ray for what was clearly Sara's influence.

"Oh really?" Zari sang, teasing him ever so slightly.

"Yes," he said, with a gruff, looking her square in the eye.

"Okay," Zari said, leaving it at that. She knew just how far she could push him and if he was going to be cleaning up regularly she didn't want to discourage him.

She walked out of the room and back down the hall to find Charlie playing her game and snatched the controller from her hand. Zari then fished out the second controller from the bin under her TV stand and handed it to Charlie.

"Told ya," Charlie said, with a grin on her face.

"Yeah, so Sara finally doubled down on Ray's threats. His room will probably go back to smelling like a pig sty in no time."

Charlie nodded and they finished up the current level. Things fell into a familiar silence around them until Zari caught Charlie looking over at her. She raised her eyebrow at her as she started up the game.

"Do you think Sara's going to move in with Ava soon?"

"Probably," Zari said, not looking up from the screen. "I think Ava finally got her act together and proposed."

"I think Ray and Nora are going to move out too," Charlie said. "I saw them looking at a couple of houses online around Star City and DC."

"Why anyone would settle down in Star City is beyond me," Zari said.

"Do you ever think about having your own place?" Charlie asked, pulling up her feet and resting her chin on her legs as they played. "Renting an apartment and settling down somewhere?"

"You want to settle down?" Zari asked, perplexed as to why she would ever choose domesticity.

"Not really, but I just think about how I used to live, hopping from place to place."

"I thought that's what we were doing?" Zari asked. "Wait are you saying you want to leave the Waverider?"

"No, I mean, not permanently," Charlie explained. "But it might be fun to go and travel a little bit more see the world in a new age."

Zari thought about it for a moment. She doesn't think they'll quit the Legends, but she does wonder what would change if the others went to live in the present. With Nate and Behrad living in DC permanently and taking care of the magical creature sanctuary, Sara probably moving in with Ava, and Ray and Nora finding a place of their own it would be just Charlie, Rory, and her. It was only a matter of time before they all settled down.

Rory, Charlie, and herself, alone on the Waverider. She knew for a fact that Rory had been saving up for a place for Lisa and himself back in Central City. His publishers wanted him to be more available and with Lisa getting married, she knew he'd wanted to keep an eye on them. Although she never thought that he would permanently set down his heat gun, she wondered if he considered a partial retirement, to focus more on his writing.

That left Charlie and her. She didn't like to dwell on the fact that Charlie wouldn't age like she would and eventually would continue living on without her, if she chooses to do so. She thought about what Charlie had said, about traveling the world. It wasn't like they were not already doing that. But visiting a place and fighting local myths and legends was different from living there and observing the culture. Traveling like that had always sounded like something from a dream or a movie. If Charlie and her left, it would mean leaving the Legends and she didn't want that. Zari couldn't imagine her life without this ragtag crew. However, a little vacation didn't sound so bad.

"It's stupid," Charlie said, looking away from her.

"Tell you what," Zari said, pausing the game. "Once Ray and Nora start popping out babies, Sara and Ava get caught up at the bureau, Behrad and Nate get married, and Rory ends up stuck with his publishers in Central City. You and I can travel for a bit, wherever you want to go."

"Sounds like a deal and one you'll definitely be paying up within the next few years."

Zari rolled her eyes and they went back to their game, for now, there was this and Zari was content.

A few minutes later Ray's voice came across their intercoms. "It's time for family game night everybody meet up in the Parlor. I've got beer and pizza and if you aren't here in 10 minutes, we'll all be stuck playing Monopoly."

"Come on," Zari said, hauling herself up out of bed and offering her arm to Charlie. She pulled out her laptop so they could play a Quiplash game and threaded her fingers with Charlie's.

* * *

January 29th, 2020. Week Ten.

Ava portaled onto the Waverider where she had agreed to meet Miranda at noon. They had chosen the Waverider as it was much more technologically advanced than the 21st century obstetrics clinic Miranda worked at. Ava had gotten used to coming to the med-bay whenever she was injured in the field. For the genetic test, the Med-bay's advanced systems were their best options for untangling her future DNA.

Sara had asked Miranda if she could give birth on the Waverider and she had agreed. Ava wanted Sara to have the best care possible but, she didn't want to take advantage of Miranda and her practice. So they had scheduled Sara's next appointment at the clinic.

Ava was early so she figured she would see what Sara or Nora were up to before meeting Miranda and walked down the hall. She hadn't taken more than a few steps before Zari came around the corner, stuffing her face with a jelly donut.

"Hey," Ava said.

Zari nodded, before swallowing so she could speak to her. "Hey Ava, what's up?"

"Not much, I was just checking in to see how everyone was doing?"

"Sara's sound sleep in the parlor and I think Nora and Ray snuck off somewhere, but Charlie, Mick, and I were about to start a round of Mario Cart if you want to join in?"

"I'm good, but thanks," Ava said. "I just wanted to see if anyone wanted to get lunch?"

"Yeah, we're kind of on desert right now," Zari said, taking another bite of her donut. "But you could come back for dinner? Ray's cooking tonight and you know whatever he makes is gonna be good."

"Sounds great," Ava said, with a smile. "Will you tell Sara that I'll meet her here after work?"

"Sara has been spending a lot of time at your place. Is she moving in with you?" Zari flat out asked her.

"Umm." Ava faltered. They hadn't discussed their new arrangements with any of the team yet and Sara had been reluctant to commit to her place. "No, but we're thinking about it."

"Fine," Zari said, walking away.

Ava was confused and watched Zari walk away. It wasn't like Zari to be so shot with her. Ava remembered how the ring box had been in her pocket for a month before she almost lost it on a mission and put it in her bedside table until she could work up the courage. Ava wondered if Zari had found it in her pocket or caught her staring at it.

Ava didn't know why she was scared of telling them about it. Of course, she didn't want it to feel like she was taking Sara away from them or that she was breaking up the Legends. However, before she had time to dwell on the thought, Miranda texted her, saying she was ready.

* * *

"How soon will we get the results?" Ava asked as Miranda placed the cuff around her wrist. She felt a sting as the needle was injected into her veins. Ava watched as her blood flowed up the tube and into Gideon's mainframe.

"We should have the results within a few minutes," Miranda said, checking over everything.

Ava took a deep breath and tried to settle her nerves.

"It's going to be okay," Miranda said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know," Ava said, but she was spiraling. She was confronted with all her thoughts and emotions about being a clone. "It's just that I never thought about where I came from other than, well, you know. What if I am carrying something and what if I pass it on to the baby, what if it affects Sara during her pregnancy and…"

"It's alright to be scared," Miranda said. "Especially when it concerns your child. Why don't you close your eyes and take a few deep breaths?"

Ava nodded. She felt Miranda take the cuffs off her wrist, but continue to sit for a moment longer. Eventually, she got up. They stood and talked until Gideon's soft voice came from the speaker.

"The results are ready for you."

"Thank you, Gideon," Miranda said. She looked over the results and Ava held her breath.

"Ava?" she said, catching her attention. "The results are clear, I've never seen anyone's genetic history so blank. You have no indicators for any genetic diseases. I can't even see a reason why you would develop Alzheimer's in your old age."

"Thank you," Ava said, letting out the breath she was holding.

Ava opened a portal for Marinda, taking her back to work and continued to sit in the med-bay alone. She pulled up the tablet looking at her medical history again. She was so relieved at the results, but there was something else she needed to know.

"Okay Gideon," she said.

"Are you sure you want to do this Director Sharpe?"

"I'm sure," she said.

"Alright," Gideon replied, "I'll build a profile of your DNA and will search through any known databases I can find for any matches. I should have a report for you in the coming days. Though, I'm not sure how long it could take or what I will find."

"That's fine. Thank you Gideon," Ava said.

The whoosh of the med-bay door opening caused her to jump and turn around to see Sara yawning and stretching her arms above her head. Ava's expression softened and she walked towards her. Pulling Sara in and wrapping her arms around Sara's waist. Sara leaned up and greeted her with a kiss.

"Hey sleepy head," Ava said, as Sara ran her fingers through her own messy hair.

"Hey you," Sara replied, with hooded eyes and a soft smile. "Zari mentioned that you were looking for me."

"Kind of, I just finished up with Miranda," Ava said.

"Really, how did everything go?" Sara asked, perking up.

"It went well, I don't carry any genetic diseases," Ava said, smiling down at her. "Just like you said."

"That's good to hear," Sara said, as the left the med-bay and walked down the hall. "Do you want to stick around and get some lunch?"

"Sure," Ava said, as she placed her hand on Sara belly.

Sara laughed, dragging her hand away and leaning in to her to whisper in her ear. "I thought you said you wanted to keep it a secret?"

"I do," Ava said, taking ahold of Sara's hand instead and bringing it to her lips. "I just can't resist holding on to the both of you."

Sara smiled and leaned into her, as Ava wrapped her arm around her shoulder. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Sara's head.

* * *

January 31th, 2020. Week Eleven.

Sara stirred the pasta in the pot, as she prepared their dinner. She had some music playing in the background and it overlapped with the sound of the onions as she sauteed them in the pan.

She looked up to see Ava walking down the stairs and carrying her bucket of cleaning supplies. Ava walked past her and tucked it away in the closet before coming into the kitchen and stripping off her gloves.

"Smells good," Ava said, as she walked over to get a better peek.

Sara wrinkled her nose shooing Ava away. "You stink."

"What?" Ava said, her face falling. "I do not."

"You do," Sara insisted. "You smell like that ridiculous cleaner you always use."

"It's lemon and it smells nice."

"Yeah well it makes me nauseous," Sara said letting her irritation seem into her voice. She turned back the pan and pulled out one of the noodles.

"Okay," Ava said, holding up her hands and backing away. The mood swings had started a week ago, nothing too serious, but she tried to gave Sara time and grace when they swung her way. She had also learned to trust Sara's nose or risk getting thrown up on. "I'll go wash up and change."

"And open the windows too," Sara called back to her.

"It's January?" Ava protested.

"Yeah well, now the whole second floor probably stinks."

"I'll turn on the fans," Ava said, trudging up the stairs. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't realize until you came down," Sara said in a softer tone, glancing back at her.

Ava paused on the stairs, letting out a sigh and staring up at the ceiling. "I'm buying a new cleaner."

Sara chuckled at her dramatic flair as Ava disappeared up the stairs. Then poured the pasta out into the strainer. She grabbed the vegetables from the fridge and started to chop them, just as her phone ring. Sara saw Gideon's name flash across the caller ID and picked it up.

"What did they do now?" Sara asked, the majority of the time when Gideon called her, she was ratting out the crew for their latest disaster or for going against Sara's orders.

"Bold of you to assume we did anything wrong," Zari said, from the other end of the line.

Sara laughed and switched the phone from one ear to the other, getting a good grip on it. "Oh yeah, then why are you calling me?"

"We got an alert from the magical odometer, looks like there's a book, some kind of time travel spell manual. It appeared in London, May of 1940."

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?" Sara asked, but turned off the burners anyway.

"I'm afraid not," Zari said. "The book literally time travels. We need to get it before it moves again or is destroyed during the blitz and lost to history. Nora said that it could help us investigate more thoroughly to find more magical creatures and identify them."

"Okay, I'll be there in a moment," Sara said, hanging up the phone just as Ava walked back downstairs.

"Who was that?" Ava smiled and walked up to Sara smelling much better.

"Zari, we've got something in London, 1940. A book she said is important."

"At the height of the blitz?" Ava asked, concern weaving itself on her face.

"Yes," Sara replied. "It should be a quick mission, in and out."

Ava stepped forward and cupped Sara's face in her hands as Sara wrapped arms around Ava's waist.

"You'll be safe? Ava asked.

"Yes," Sara said, as sure as she could.

With their height difference, all Ava had to do was tip her head up to press a kiss to Sara's forehead before ducking down and pressing her lips to Sara's. Ava properly wrapped her arms around Sara and gave her a quick hug before pulling back.

"Go get em, babe," Ava smiled and pulled back giving Sara a little butt slap when she turned around.

Sara looked over her shoulder and smiled before opening a portal and stepping onto the Waverider.

* * *

"Alright, alright," Sara yelled, as everyone filtered onto the bridge. "Now I know things have been a little dull around here, so I hope you all haven't forgotten your moves."

"The object we are looking for is the book of Dorian. It's a spellbook, for spells involving time travel," Nora said, as she pulled up pictures of the book on the screen in front of them.

"How did it end up in London?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not sure," Nora said, leaning against the console.

"And what about Dorian himself?" Ray asked. "We won't have to worry about him trying to get the book as well?"

"We haven't heard anything from him on any of the magical creature alerts so it should be a pretty easy grab and go," Sara said.

"Great that means I can sit this one out," Charlie said, already falling down into one of the chairs in the Parlor.

"And what's so important that you don't want to go? Zari asked.

"Nothing," Charlie said, picking her head up to look at Zari. "I just don't want to get caught in the Blitz."

"Are we sure this is safe?" Mick asked, specifically looking at Sara.

Everyone on the ship grew quiet as they all stared at Mick and Sara.

"Yes," Sara said, before anyone could ask Mick why he was so concerned all of a sudden. "So, Nora and I will go into the Bookshop to look for the book, while Mick keeps watch outside. Ray can quarterback the mission from the ship and keep an eye on the bombers, while Zari can keep an eye on Charlie."

"How come I'm stuck babysitting her?" Zari said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder at Charlie.

"I don't need a babysitter," Charlie yelled back at them.

"Cause, she's your girlfriend," Sara said, patting her shoulder and walking over to the Captain's seat.

* * *

May 17, 1940

Sara, Nora, and Mick stood in the alleyway across the street from the book shop as they watched everyone evacuate. The sirens rang out, making the dark night seam heavy around them. The world was black and the houses were darkened as the city lights went out. The old bookkeeper locked up his shop before hurrying down the street with his wife.

"Okay," Sara said turning around to them. "If things do go south just forget about the book and book it out of there."

Nora rolled her eyes at Sara's pun but nodded.

"Got it," Mick said, looking back at the bookshop.

As soon as the couple turned the corner Sara motioned for Nora to follow her. They crept across the street to the door of the bookshop. Sara looked around before kneeling down and quickly picking the lock.

"It would have been quicker if I had unlocked it with my magic," Nora said.

It was Sara's turn to roll her eyes as she turned the knob, opening the door and stepping into the quiet shop. Nora walked in behind her and Sara started scanning the shelves for the book.

"What does it look like again?" Sara asked, turning back to look at Nora.

Before she could get a reply, Nora's hand lit up, and suddenly all the books started swirling around her. Sara watched in awe as the books flew off the shelves swirling around before dropping to the floor. She soon spotted the book they had been looking for as it flew out of the shelf and straight into Nora's hands.

The second it touched her fingertips someone came up behind her. He tackled her to the ground and wrested it from her grasp. Sara reached forward and pulled the man off of Nora, She shone her flashlight in his face, to reveal the old man who owned the bookstore. His white hair glowing in the light and his wrinkled face scowled up at her.

"How dare you try and steal from me?" He screamed. "Do you know the power you could unleash?"

Sara paused for a moment before the realization, dawned upon her. "You're the one who created the book. You're Dorian."

"Yes," Dorian said. "And it looks like I have two thieves that need to be taught a lesson."

Sara could hear Nora begin to whisper something behind her. A spell of some kind, but before she could cast it he sent out a force of power that pushed them both back, as they crashed into the bookshelves.

The air was forced from Sara's lungs and she laid there gasping for air against the bookshelf. Sara closed her eyes and her hand flew to her stomach, her baby. She took a deep breath and assessed herself, there was an ache in her shoulder but, other than that she was fine.

Nora had taken the brunt of his power and he stood above her. Sara got up and charged him. They exchanged a few blows and Sara opened her mouth to let out a Canary Cry from the sonic device around her neck. Before she could let out more than a single cry someone grabbed ahold of her.

Sara felt two hands grab her around her waist and recognized Mick's arms as he hauled her out. He pushed her forward and ran out the door. They were at the foot of the Jump Ship when Sara slammed her feet into the soft ground forcing them to stop.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be helping Nora!" Sara yelled at him, turning around to face him.

"She can handle herself, your more important," Mick said, trying to pick her up and drag her to safety.

"I asked you to do your job and let me do mine," she said, wiggling out of his grasp.

"Not when it puts you and your kid in danger!" He yelled back.

She looked back at Mick and knew she didn't want to waste time arguing. "Fine, I'll get on the Waverider, but you need to go help Nora."

He looked like wanted to protest, but Ray chimed in their ear.

"Guys, the German bombers are almost above you, you need to get out of there."

Mick took one last look at her, Sara knew she was favoring her shoulder and that Mick could see that, but he took off and Sara boarded the Jump Ship.

"Sara, they have to get out of there!" Ray yelled.

Sara could hear it overhead and she watched as the bombs descended on the houses down the street leading up to the bookshop.

"Nora!" She screamed.

One of the bombs detonated on the house in an explosion of fire and light, as the wood and bricks scattered around the street. As soon as it came, it was gone and all that was left was burning streets and the sound of the flames. Sara exited the Jump Ship, stepping out onto the street and slowly walked towards the bookshop. She was relieved to see purple light in the middle of the rubble as Nora's powers shielded them. It disappeared to reveal Mick and Nora standing there unharmed, but not holding the book.

Sara let out a sigh of relief and ran to them. As they crawled out Sara threw her arms around Nora.

"Oh, thank god!" Ray yelled, from behind them. He had run through a portal that was still open with Charlie and Zari looking on, with the same look of relief on his face.

Ray ran forward and crushed Nora into a hug, then patted Mick on the shoulder, it was as much affection as Mick would allow.

* * *

Sara landed the Jump Ship and they walked on to the Waverider, Mick and Nora were covered in soot but unharmed. They converged in the med-bay with Charlie and Zari.

"Gideon, can you please check them over?" Sara asked, ushering them in.

Sara walked over to the beds and set her sights on Mick until he reluctantly sat down and Nora hopped up. Sara stood in between them and felt Nora slip the extra bracelet around her wrist. Gideon gave them a once over and healed their cuts and bruises. Mick got up as soon as Gideon gave them a clean bill of health. Nora moved to Ray's side, as he brushed the ash out of her hair.

"Why don't we settle in for the night," Sara said.

"Let's watch a movie? It'd be a great way to relax," Ray offered.

It was still early and Sara had no doubt that they would be up late tonight as the adrenaline took it's time to wear off. "Sounds good Ray."

"I'll pick one out," Charlie said, running out of the room, with Zari hot on her heels.

"Are you going to head over to Mona's for book club?" Ray asked

"Yeah," Nora said, giving Ray a smile. "But I'll be home before you go to bed Honey."

He nodded and leaned down to give her a quick kiss before jogged off. He whistled the tune of the musical he would probably choose to put on. Mick looked at them a little unsure if he should stay.

"I'm gonna go make some popcorn," he said.

"No Mick, you need to stay," Sara said.

"Sara," Nora started, before she was interrupted by Gideon.

"You're all set Captain," Gideon said. "Your fetus is unharmed and is doing quite well. Although, I can not give you anything to heal the bruise on your shoulder, as it would contain an additive that could affect your pregnancy. I would advise a cold compress."

"Thank you Gideon," Sara said, taking off the bracelet. She looked over at Mick and Nora. "I could have gotten out of there on my own. Mick, you should have helped Nora."

"We thought you needed help getting out of there and we didn't want you fighting him yourself," Nora said.

"But I didn't need help and you could have gotten out of there sooner. You risked both your lives by worrying more about what could have happened than what was happening." Sara trailed off as they both hung their heads. "Look what's done is done and everyone is safe and that's what matters, but I need you two to listen to me and back me up, especially after I tell the others."

"Okay," Nora said, looking at Sara and nodding.

Sara smiled at her then looked over at Mick. He shuffled his feet but looked up at her and said, "okay."

"Thank you," she said.

"Are you going to join us?" Nora asked as they walked out of the med-bay.

"I think I'll go home," Sara said, gesturing with her thumb over her shoulder.

Mick and Nora exchanged a less than subtle smirk and Sara frowned as she realized why they had not said anything about her actions.

"You two let me chew you out and you stayed quiet because you're hoping Ava will scold me once I got home."

"We knew that you'd be more likely to listen to her," Nora said, crossing her arms.

"She's got you by the collar, Boss," Mick teased her, with a smile.

"She does not," Sara scoffed, as she crossed her arms, but they laughed at her anyway.

"Well jokes on you because I didn't do anything wrong," Sara said, before turning around and heading to her room to gather her things.

* * *

Sara and Nora portaled into the hallway of Mona's apartment building. It was Mona's turn to host the book club. The four of them had a rotation set up. They would meet at either Ava's or Mona's place, the Waverider, or the Bureau and discuss whatever book they were reading, but it would often dissolve into drunken talks. Mona and Sara would discuss theories and different themes of the book, while Ava and Nora just let them go on and on. Until the conversation took a more personal turn as they often discussed their relationships, life or other stuff.

Ava loved it, she would be sure to finish early at work and clear her scheduled for the night as they often ended up sleeping over at each other's places. Lately, Ava had been staying sober with Sara and leaving early so they could get home before Sara passed out on the closest surface, which was often Ava's lap. Tonight Sara had insisted that Ava go and have a good time, going as far as to buy a bottle of Ava's favorite red wine just for the occasion.

Mona opened the door giggling, "hey you two."

She was clearly tipsy and she pulled them in for a hug, spilling her drink on the floor. Ava appeared in the hallway behind her, smiling with flushed cheeks, but holding a cup of coffee. Having clearly tried to sober up after Sara called her. Sara could smell the sweet brew from the hall, it was one of the best and worst changes due to her pregnancy.

"Trade you?" Sara asked Mona, patting Nora on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Mona said, stepping aside so Nora could come in. "We just started playing go fish. We were playing poker but, we're a little too drunk."

Moan feel into giggles and Ava chucked behind her.

"I only lost a twenty," Ava said handing her coffee mug to Mona and stepped out into the hall, her arms around Sara's waist, Ava greeted her with a kiss. "I missed you."

"I'm sure your wallet will survive." Sara hummed and settled into Ava's arms, she smelled like coffee and donuts with a sloppy smile on her face.

"You're staying too, right?" Mona asked, stepping into the apartment.

"No," Sara said. "I should probably just go home, but you three have fun."

"I'll go with you then," Ava said.

"No Babe," Sara whined pressing her hand to Ava's chest. "You should stay and have fun with your friends. You haven't spent any time with Nora yet."

"I see them all the time, besides we do this like once a week. I'm going home with you," Ava said in a firm tone and left Sara's side to gather her things.

Sara wanted to argue with her, but she knew that Ava had made up her mind. However, it didn't stop her from feeling selfish about taking Ava away from her girl's night.

"Good night, you two cuties," Mona gushed leaning on the side of the door frame as they walked out.

"See you later Mona," Sara said, turning away.

"Wait, Mona, do you have my keys?" Ava asked, turning back just before Mona closed the door.

"Oh, yeah."

She disappeared into the apartment returning a moment later with Ava's keys. A simple set with her house key, car fob, and backup car key.

"Thank you," Ava said handing them over to Sara.

Mona smiled at them and then waved to them after they got on the elevator. "Text me when you get home safe."

"We will," Ava said, waving back.

Ava clung to Sara the whole way down to the car, a little handsy, sneaking her fingers under the waistband of Sara's jeans.

"Wait till we get home," Sara said, laughing as she brushed Ava's hand away.

"I just want to feel the baby," Ava explained.

Sara moved her hand over her jeans with a smile. "Okay."

Sara opened the passenger side door once they got to their car and waited for Ava to climb in. She grabbed Ava's seat belt only to be stopped.

"I'm not that drunk. I can buckle myself in," Ava insisted.

"Okay," Sara said, letting Ava do so. She walked around to the driver's side and got in. With the keys in her pocket, she pressed the start button. Then reached over to double check that Ava's seat belt was secure.

Ava grumbled, but she had buckled herself in. Sara just shook her head and backed up and out of the parking garage. Sara drove through the city as Ava stared out the window. The streets in Mona's neighborhood were busy with bars, shops, and people walking around and having a good time. As Sara drove into Ava's neighborhood the drive became quiet, with only the occasional midnight jogger, car, or motorcycle.

Ava had reached over during the last part of the drive and held Sara's free hand with both of hers, staring over at her as if Sara was the best thing in the world. Once Sara parked in the driveway Ava got out and ran around to her side to open Sara's door. Ava put her arm securely around Sara's waist and walked with her inside.

Ava hung up her coat and held out her hand for Sara's. Sara couldn't keep grimace from her face as she shrugged off her coat. Ava's mouth dropped open and took the coat from Sara. She could see the bruise peeking out from under Sara's t-shirt and pulled at the collar to see more. Ava's hands found the hem of her t-shirt and Sara let Ava pull it over her head. Her eyes went wide as she gasped when she saw the black and blue bruise that had formed over Sara's shoulder.

"It's okay, it's just a bruise I got from the mission when the guy knocked me down. I'm fine and so's the baby," Sara said, taking ahold of Ava's hands.

"I am so relieved that you are okay," Ava said, hugging her tightly, then pulling back and cupping Sara's face, asking her to look her in the eye. "But Sara you can't do that ever again. You can't go out in the field now that you're pregnant."

"Ava," Sara whined, pulling back.

"No, Sara, I'm serious," Ava said, looking at her. "It's not just your life on the line, you're carrying our child."

Sara didn't say anything back just put her shirt back on, kicked off her shoes, and sat on the couch. Ava sat down next to her and Sara turned her head looking away from her.

"What was I supposed to do? He ambushed us and knocked Nora down. I was trying to help her," Sara said, gesturing wildly with her good arm.

"You shouldn't have been there in the first place. Your team is perfectly capable of handling it themselves," Ava said, she tried to keep her voice even and calm, but Sara could hear the worry slipping in.

"Yeah, but Mick was across the street." Sara sighed she wasn't looking for a fight. "Look. I'm trying to be safe, but it's impossible for me to not engage. What if next time it's just me and there's nowhere to go? I won't let anyone get hurt because I'm trying to save myself, not when I can help them."

"Well then, there won't be a next time, because I'll take your place," Ava said, in a firm tone that she used to get the final say at the Bureau.

"You know you can't do that, you have your job at the Bureau." Sara countered.

"I won't, I'll just come on missions with you after my meetings, field oversight, and paperwork are done."

"I don't need a babysitter," Sara said, getting up and pacing the room. "And I don't need you running my team for me."

"Well, clearly you do," Ava said, sitting forward.

"Well, why don't you just propose and we can get married right now. That way you can just ground me whenever I step outside without you because that's just what you want," Sara sneered.

Ava paused stared up at Sara. She huffed and refused to meet Ava's gaze as things grew quiet around them.

"You knew I was planning to propose?"

"Of course I knew Ava. Everybody knew."

"Everyone?" Ava asked, before shaking her head.

"Yes," Sara said, it was the most obvious thing in the world. "At first I just thought that you were planning some big proposal, but as time wore on I thought you were just scared, but now? I don't know if you even want to commit to me."

"How could you say that," Ava said, getting defensive. "After everything we went through. After you pulled me out of my own personal hell, after we picked out a mattress and saw our future together?"

"What was I supposed to think? That one day, everything wouldn't fall apart? That you wouldn't change your mind?" Sara yelled.

"No, I mean yes, I won't change my mind. I'm not going to walk away, not ever, and especially not now," Ava said.

"I don't want to get married to you just because we're having a baby," Sara said. crossing her arms.

"I'm not asking you to," Ava said, throwing her hands up. "Wait. Is this why you don't want me to propose?"

"Yes, no," Sara stammered and stopped pacing. "I just don't want you to be so overprotective."

Ava narrowed her eyes at Sara, "That's not the whole part, is it?

"It is!" Sara insisted.

"I know you're lying to me, Sara," Ava said, taking a firm tone again.

"Okay, I just," Sara stammered, then cried out. "I don't want to give up my life."

Ava was silent as she waited for Sara to explain. Sara sat down on the ottoman and hid her face in her hands for a moment before she looked up and continued.

"My whole life is on the Waverider. It's where I've lived for the past five years. It's my job, it's my legacy, it's all of my accomplishments and one of the best things I've ever done. I know that being a mom means that I'll have to take a break from all of that. And getting married just feels like I'll have to commit to living here in the present and never time traveling again. I don't want to give it up, I'm not ready, I'm sorry," Sara said, falling into a mess of tears.

Ava moved forward, falling to her knees and wrapped her arms around Sara. Sara's body heaved with sobs and Ava moved back to the couch, pulled Sara into her lap. Ava held her close as Sara sat in her lap and buried her head onto Ava's shoulder.

Ava whispered into her ear. "Hey, just let it out baby. It's okay."

Sara held on as she sobbed and after a while, her tears turned into hiccups. Ava grabbed the water bottle from the end table next to her, handing it to Sara once she pulled back. Ava put her hands on Sara's arms, rubbing up and down as she looked down at the bottle in her lap.

"Sara." Ava started out soft and slow. "Listen to me, I live here in the present, right? I have a house, a yard, a nine to five job, and that job is a desk job. Sure I help you out on missions occasionally, but the majority of the time I'm the one directing, not fighting. Do you think that makes me less of a fighter or makes my accomplishment, my work less important?"

"No," Sara whispered.

"Yeah, and that means that your career isn't going to be less than it was. Yes, it will change, but that's not a bad thing and if we get married I'd never ask you to stop doing the thing you love. Sara, I'd never ask you to quit time traveling. I just want to make you mine, as possessive as that sounds. I was never supposed to be able to be in a relationship like this or have the chance to build a family that's my own. Our community worked so hard to have that right and I want to take advantage of that. I want to give you all the benefits being my wife, my legal spouse would have."

Sara resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead just looked down at her hands. Of course, Ava would think about the paperwork and legal stuff involving their marriage. Ava reached up and held Sara's face in her hands, bringing her chin up to look at her and wiped an errant tear away with her thumb.

"I know you're not ready to give up going into the field," Ava said, as Sara held her breath waiting for Ava to reiterate her stance. "And I don't want you endangering yourself in a fight, but if you think that it's warranted and you promise to be safe. Then I have no problem with you continuing your missions."

"Really?" Sara asked.

"Yes," Ava said. "I shouldn't force you to stay on the ship. I trust you to make the right decision for your safety and for that of our child."

"Thank you," Sara said, looking at Ava with softer eyes.

"If we take it one step at a time it will get easier, my love," Ava said.

"Okay," Sara said, burying her face in Ava's neck. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ava said, wrapping her arms securely around Sara's waist. "You goober."

Ava could feel her smile and pressed her lips against Ava's neck. Then Sara pulled back and looked at Ava, she looked more sure than Ava had seen that night.

"I want to move in with you. You're right, it will be easier if we do things one step at a time and I want to try."

"Okay," Ava said and Sara knew she wanted to ask about marriage, but that Ava wouldn't push her.

Sara sighed and asked, "Can I see the ring?"

Ava didn't even have to get up she just reached into her pocket and pulled out the flat rectangular box, it opened to reveal the ring. It was a simple band with a trillion diamond set into a gold triangle on the band. It was modern and unique and very much Sara. She loved it and couldn't wait to put it on but, the implications that came with it were less exciting.

"Remind me again, what the difference is between just moving in and getting married?"

"Well, we'd have to plan a wedding," Ava said as she took the ring out of the box and held it between her fingers.

"Yeah, we're not having a big wedding until after I give birth," Sara said.

"Okay well other than that it's just the paperwork. Taxes, bank accounts, wills, and stuff like that."

Sara humed as they stared at the ring as it sparkled in the light.

"You want a big wedding?" Ava asked, with a half smile looking up at her with soft eyes.

"Kinda, I mean not big, big, but I want a white dress that's long and pretty, I want to walk down the aisle with all our friends and family there, with flowers, and white tulle, and a huge cake, and I want a big party."

Ava laughed, "That last part sounds like you."

Sara joined her and when their laughter died down, Sara put her hands over Ava's on the ring. "After the Gambit, I never thought I could have a chance at a normal wedding. With… With anyone. I want this with you."

"Okay."

Sara held out her hand for Ava to slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly and matches the other gold rings on her fingers blending in so that no would know they were engaged unless they told them. Of course, their friends would notice right away, but she wondered how long it would take the legends to notice. Ava looked at it placed on Sara's finger.

"Ah, I'm so stupid," Ava said, covering her face with her hands. "It one of your only fingers without a ring."

"Hey, you are not stupid," Sara said, pulling her hands away.

Ava gave her a look. How could she have not noticed

"Okay maybe just a little," Sara said, she looked at Ava and smiles so wide Ava returned her smiled and tried to contain her excitement, but leaned in peppered Sara's face with kisses.

Sara broke out into giggles and put her hand to Ava's sides, tickled her as they dissolved into laughter. They slid down to lay on the couch, curling up they settled in for the night. After such an emotional night Ava wasn't surprised when Sara's eyes drooped and she fell asleep within minutes.

Ava laid there and watched her. She was so lucky to have Sara in her life to have all this, free will and the chance to make her own decisions, to have a love, the chance to get married, and a growing family. She kissed Sara again with a feather touch and Sara moaned in her sleep. She turned to snuggle up closer to Ava, although that was barely possible given how close Ava was holding her.


	4. Back at it Again

**Notes: Okay, I'm gonna be real with you all. For me this is a huge project, there is a lot of research, writing, editing rewriting, and more editing that goes into this. Not to mention my two beta readers, who are amazing and I like to give them all the time they need. Plus, I'm in college and I like to be free to pursue other creative projects. I love this work and am so happy that I'm finally writing it, but it's going to be another two to three months before the next chapter. I am so thankful for all the kind kudos and comments about how much you enjoy my story, but your update pleas and demands just make it worse because I AM still working on it, but it takes time! So please be kind and understand my timeline for this.**

 **That being said I am so happy to present the next chapter for you! I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

February 7th, 2020.

Sara had walked down the hall and was making her "goodbye rounds," as Ray called them. It was early afternoon and everything had been quiet, no mission or monsters so Sara felt good about leaving early for Ava's "physical" or her prenatal appointment. She found Ray in the Lab tinkering with something.

"Hey, I'm heading out," she said, popping her head in.

"Alright," he said looking disappointed.

"I'll be back tonight, remember?" she reassured him. "Ava and I are still making dinner."

"I know," Ray said, still looking disappointed.

"Is everything alright?" Sara asked, moving in to lean against the door.

"Kind of, I just wanted to talk to you about having you back me up, especially with chores. Things have lapsed around here and Zari and Charlie won't listen to me."

Sara nodded, knowing how hard it was to get the others to do anything they didn't want to. "Why don't you tell them to do their chores while I'm gone and I'll back you up and give them a reprimand if they don't?"

"Thanks Sara," he said, returning to his work.

Sara smiled and left, walking around until she found Charlie, Mona, Behrad, and Zari sitting in the kitchen.

"I'm going to head out to the Bureau for Ava's appointment. Ray's in charge while I'm gone, please listen to him when he asks you guys to do your chores."

"You got it Cap," Mona said giving her a two finger salute with her usual enthusiasm.

"Mine are already done," Behrad said, with a smirk.

"Yeah alright," Charlie mumbled, as she and Zari barely looked up from their food.

"Zari?" Sara asked finally getting her to look up. "Can you help Ray out if he needs it?"

Zari let out a dramatic sigh, as if Sara had asked her to do something impossible. Sara knew that Zari could get all of the Legends to listen to her if she really tried.

"Okay."

Sara sighed and left the galley. She knew that Zari didn't mind helping her out, but wondered if Zari was annoyed that Sara didn't put her in charge instead. Ray was certainly capable, but Zari was more likely to keep them out of trouble and handle anything that came their way. However, for the few hours when nothing was bound to happen and when the domestic work had to be done, Ray was who Sara relied on.

Sara continued to think as she walked up to the second level, which mostly held their cabins. She grabbed her purse and coat, putting them on before she found Mick in his room lifting weights.

"Hey, I'm off to a prenatal appointment with Ava."

"Okay," he gruffed, not looking up at her.

Sara let her disappointment slide. "Can you set a good example and listen to Ray when he asks you guys to do your chores this afternoon?"

"Fine," he said.

It seemed like everyone was mad at her today. The alert for her appointment on her phone went off, and she knew she had to leave now if they wanted to make her appointment on time. Sara shrugged and she stepped foot into his room, what was the point of being time travelers if they didn't use it.

"Is everything okay with you?" Sara questioned. "You seem distant."

Mick stopped mid set and placed the dumbbell on the floor. He looked down at the floor and Sara waited for him to speak.

"When are you moving in with Ava?" he asked, looking up at her with soft eyes.

"Not right away," Sara assured him. "But, it will probably be within the next month or so."

Sara reached for the engagement ring that she currently kept on a necklace that was under her shirt and twirled it between her fingers.

"I'm not leaving the Legends, I just won't be around as much."

"Why can't Pantsuit just move back in with you on the Waverider? It worked fine when the Time Bureau was shut down last fall."

"You know why," Sara said softly. "We can't raise a child here. They deserve to have a full childhood in a safe and open place, in one time zone where they can make friends and build their own life."

"I'm real happy for you Sara, I am," he said, looking away from her again. "I just don't want to lose you too."

"You're not going to lose me. Things are going to change, yes, and even if I do end up leaving the Legends sometime in the very far future, you and I are always going to be friends. And chances are Ray is going to have us all over for a weekly dinner night whether we like it or not."

He laughed at that, and nodded, finally looking back at her, catching sight of the ring that Sara was playing with. "She proposed, didn't she?"

"Yeah," Sara said, pulling out the ring and looking down on it.

"We're making dinner tonight and Ava and I are announcing our engagement and the pregnancy to everybody else. Can I count on you to let me explain it to them without everything decending into chaos?" she asked. They both knew how quickly their meetings and discussions could get off track as everyone talked at once.

"Yeah," he smiled.

Sara smiled back, happy to know that at least Mick would always support her. She turned around, letting the door to his cabin close behind her before she opened the portal into Ava's office.

"Ready?" Ava asked, already with her coat on.

"Yep," Sara replied, as Ava held out her hand and they intertwined their fingers before they headed out.

* * *

Sara bounced her right knee as she held a cup of water in her left hand. The receptionist had pointed her in the direction of the water cooler upon their check in. Sara needed to have a full bladder by the time they did an ultrasound at the end of the appointment.

Ava captured her free hand and gave it a squeeze, looking over at Sara. "I know you're nervous, but you're going to spill your water, Babe."

"I have to go," Sara whispered to her.

"Whoa, Sara slow down," Ava said, turning to face her. "It's okay. It's just an appointment. It's nothing we haven't already done."

"No Ava, I have to pee," Sara said, as she crossed her legs and continued to bounce her legs.

Ava grimaced but, leaned in to whisper. "I know it's tough but, they're going to ask you for a urine sample once we get back there. You also need a full bladder for the ultrasound in an hour. Can you hold it for a little bit longer?"

"No," Sara said, a little louder than she intended, catching the attention of the three other patients in the waiting room.

A woman with short red hair, who was heavily pregnant and seated across from them leaned forward, not bothering to whisper. "Just ask the receptionist to tell the nurse you need to go. They'll give you a cup, they don't mind."

"Thank you," Sara said, with a sigh of relief.

She got up and walked up to the counter, where the nurse quickly printed out a label and gave her a cup, pointing her in the direction of the bathroom.

"When I was pregnant with my first, I had to go all the time. I made the terrible mistake of thinking I could hold it, especially at work, and ended up having quite a few accidents," the redhead said with a laugh.

Ava chuckled with her out of obligation and decided not to share that little tidbit of information with Sara when she got back.

"It's so sweet of you to go with your sister to these appointments. I wish I could get my husband to come along, without having to drag him in by his ear," she said with another laugh.

Ava frowned at the woman's statement, feeling sorry that she had to convince her partner to support her, and that she had assumed she and Sara were sisters. They had acted like a couple the entire time they were there and apart from the blonde hair that wasn't even the same shade, they looked nothing alike.

"Actually she's my fianceé," Ava said.

"Oh," she said with a tight smile that told Ava of her disapproval, and the conversation ended there.

* * *

The nurse called her name just as Sara was returning from the bathroom, and she took them back to their exam room. She quickly gave Sara the usual battery of blood pressure, weight and height tests. Afterwards, they met with Miranda, and she examined Sara before going over her recent symptoms and her injury from London.

"I'm going to ask you to be more careful in the field," Miranda said. "And I'm advising you against getting into any more fights."

"Yeah, that's reasonable," Sara said.

"How's your nausea doing? Have you gotten any relief from the medication that I gave you?" Miranda asked, referencing over the counter nausea relief she had advised Sara to take.

"It's been much better since I started taking it. I still get nauseous a lot, but I'm not throwing up as much."

"That's good," Miranda said, jotting it down in Sara's file.

"I see you gained a few pounds, and I'd like to see your weight increase by at least five pounds before our next appointment. How's your sleep been? Have you been taking any naps? And how many hours are you getting at night?"

"About seven hours at night, and then the occasional hour nap in the afternoons," Sara replied.

"It's been more like eight hours a night and an hour to a half an hour nap, so nine or ten hours," Ava said.

"Okay," Miranda said, chuckling when Sara shot Ava a look, to which she just shrugged. "Let me know if that changes. I think we're all set. I'll send you down to the ultrasound technician and call you with the results in a few days."

Sara and Ava smiled brightly as Miranda gathered her things and said goodbye. A few minutes later they were across the hospital at the imaging lab. The ultrasound technician, a black woman in her late forties, who introduced herself as Lynette, was there getting everything set up. The lights were dimmed, and she placed the warm jelly on Sara's lower abdomen. Sara gasped as the black and white picture appeared on the screen. They were transfixed on the image of their child.

"Look at their little arms and legs," Sara cooed, then turned her head to look at Ava. "It's a real baby."

Ava laughed and looked back at the screen, "Yeah Sara, what were you expecting?"

"You know what I mean," Sara huffed and turned back to the ultrasound image. "Last time it was just a little bud and now you can actually see them!"

"Yeah," Ava sighed, looked down at Sara's belly then back up to their baby displayed on the screen. She could hardly believe it was all real, even if she had lived this reality for the past month and a half. She was on cloud nine as she stared at the image.

"Are you doing the Nuchal translucency scan?" Sara asked, as the technician zoomed in on the baby's neck and was taking measurements.

"Yes," Lynette said, not taking her eyes off the screen. "But I can't tell you if it looks abnormal or not. Dr. Coburn will go over the results with you."

"Okay," Ava said, giving Sara's hand a squeeze. Sara looked over at her and gave her a reassuring smile before they both turned their eyes back to the screen and the picture of their little baby moving around. The rest of the ultrasound flew by, and soon enough Sara was cleaning off the jelly.

"I'm assuming you two want some pictures? Do you have a specific number you need me to print up?"

"About five," Ava said at the same time Sara said. "Fifteen."

"What?" Ava asked.

"Babe, we've got a lot of friends and family."

"Yeah, but I doubt that everyone will want one and we can always just photocopy more."

"Yeah, I guess," Sara said, sitting up.

Lynette giggled, "I'll print eight copies for you."

"Thank you," they said as Lynette smiled, then left. Ava took the paper towels from her and threw them away. She grabbed Sara's hand and gave it a squeeze leaning in for a quick kiss.

Lynette came back with the photos and sent them on their way. Ava stared down at her copy of the photo, completely enamored with the image before her. They stepped back onto the Waverider, having a portal into the kitchen that was unusually empty. Ava took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Sara's waist from behind, resting her hands on Sara's belly and kissing her neck. Sara leaned into her, relaxing into their embrace.

"Do you think we have some time before we need to start dinner?" Sara asked turning her neck to let Ava kiss her away up to her ear.

"I think we can make time," Ava whispered in her ear.

Sara turned around to give her a proper kiss, letting her warm lips linger on Ava's before she pulled away. Sara grabbed Ava's hand, giving her a sultry smile before leading her to their bedroom.

* * *

"This is a bad idea; someone's going to choke," Ava said, as she chopped vegetables at the counter.

She looked over to where Sara was, on the other side of the kitchen sitting at the table. Sara was half finished and had stopped once the buns were done, pulling them out of the oven and setting them on a plate. She held one of the fresh buns and a baggie of tiny plastic babies.

"No one's gonna choke," Sara assured her.

Ava sent her a disbelieving look.

"Okay, maybe there's a possibility of someone choking. I'll just set them under the buns on their plates."

"Thank you," Ava said, returning to her vegetables, relieved that Sara had given up on the hazardous joke.

The plan was to tell the Legends that night at dinner. It was one of the only times, other than a mission brief, that they could count on all of them being present. No one wanted to skip a meal, especially when it was Sara and Ava's cooking.

"Where did you get the recipe for this Chicken Ricotta?" Ava asked. Reading it over again, she smiled at Sara's curly lettering and choice of blue ink on the white index card.

"It was my Dad's recipe."

Ava looked up to see Sara giving her a soft smile as she resumed setting the table. "When my parents realized that they had sent Laurel off to college having only learned how to cook mac and cheese, my father decided that he would make it his mission to make sure that I knew how to cook. He taught me all of the family recipes and made me help cook every dinner. At the time it was annoying, but now I'm thankful he insisted on it."

Ava smiled, and they went back to their respective tasks. After she had finished setting up, Sara came back and helped her finish the chicken. Soon enough the sweet smell of the meal filled the ship. The other Legends started poking their nose in, just enough to get a taste, but far enough away to avoid being roped into helping.

"Alright, Gideon, rally the troops," Sara said, as she placed the cast iron pan in the middle of the table.

"Is it ready?" Zari asked, popping her head in, having probably been waiting outside.

Sara gestured to the set table before her and took a seat next to Ava. Zari smiled and ran in, followed closely by Charlie. They both took their seats at the table and Zari grabbed for one of the buns that Sara had arranged on the plate in front of her.

"Wait until everyone gets here first," Sara said, slapping her hand away.

"Fine," Zari whined, rolling her eyes as if it was the most inconvenient thing in the world. She pulled out her phone and started up a game as Charlie watched over her shoulder.

Soon the rest of the Legends filed in and Sara repeated her warning to wait until Nate and Behrad finally joined them. It was a full house with everyone currently staying on board.

"Where's John and Gary?" Ray asked.

"They're out on a date. Apparently, they went to this new restaurant or something that Gary's been dying to go to," Ava said, setting down the fresh salad that she had forgotten was in the fridge and returning to her seat.

"This looks amazing," Behrad said as he and Nate sat down.

"Thank you," Sara said, proud of the dinner they had made.

"It's a shame that some of us are too enraptured in our phones to enjoy it," Behrad said, his quip directed at Zari and Charlie, who were still looking at Zari's phone.

"Hey, we were waiting here for you," Zari jeered.

"Okay," Ava said, stopping the sibling's squabble.

"Wait," Nate said, suddenly standing and pulling Behrad up with him. "Before we get started."

"Sorry to interrupt," Gideon said. "But there is a level ten anachronism that must be fixed before it solidifies its place in history. Apparently a witch is trying to take over the world."

The crew was a mixture of excitement and displeasure at Gideon's announcement, and Ava slid down to slump in her seat. She was disappointed that they weren't allowed to announce their news. Although by the sound of it, Behrad and Nate had some exciting news that they wouldn't have wanted to overshadow.

Sara sighed, but claps her hands together, getting their attention. "All right, everybody gear up and be on the bridge in ten."

"Is everybody needed for this mission?" Nate asked, "We were supposed to meet our parents later."

"No, go ahead you guys," Sara said as they all got up and left the room.

"Great, that means I get this?" Zari said holding up the air totem, that until two seconds ago was around Behrad's wrist.

"Thief," he shouted at her.

"Who said she stole it?" Charlie said.

"That's not fair, what if I need it? You already have a fire breathing dragon," he said gesturing to Mithra who trotted alongside Zari. Mithra had been shrunk down to the size of a tiger so they could easily fit on the ship.

"It's a level 10. All hands on deck," Zari said. She and Charlie giggled as they ran out of the room.

"Hey don't worry about it. We don't need it," Nate said, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

"Yeah, we're only telling your mother that we're engaged," Behrad said throwing his hands up in the air.

Nate just laughed and leaned in for a kiss. "You know how long my mother has been waiting for us to get engaged. I'm sure she's got everything already planned out. She'll be over the moon when we tell her. It's your mother that I'm worried about."

Now it was Behrad's turn to laugh. "Are you kidding me? my Mama adores you. My Baba on the other hand…"

"What, did your Dad say something about me?" Nate said, panicking.

"No, no, I'm just teasing you," Behrad said, laughing again. He leaned in and kissed Nate, waiting for his boyfriend to melt into his embrace. "Now come on."

Behrad pulled him out of his seat as Nate grabbed a bun on the way out, and bit into it as Behrad open the portal for them.

"Muhp, why does this have a baby in it?" he asked, pulling out the plastic toy.

Behrad just shrugged, and they exchanged confused looks as they both walked through the open portal.

* * *

"A mysterious monster is wreaking havoc on the local gardening scene in Miami Dade County," Ray said, reading over the report from the magic time seismograph Sara had pulled up on the monitors. "I don't think this counts as a level ten."

"That's because it's before this," Sara said, putting up the news clip she had found.

The footage showed the destruction of Miami, as one woman, the witch presumably, floated above the streets. There was a monster the size of a skyscraper in the background, destroying one of the buildings.

"It looked like this is the start of it all," Ava said, looking at the paper Ray was reading.

They each looked at the pictures of the ruined gardens from the newspapers. Flower bushes had been stomped, flower baskets were torn down, and statues reduced to ruble.

"Look at this," Nora said, pointing to the article she was reading.

"I didn't see that one in any of the police reports," Ray said, as he leaned over her shoulder.

"It looked like it was never touched by the vandals. It's from the winning garden in one of the issues of Garden Monthly," Nora said.

"Mrs. Joan Watkins, for her renaissance inspired garden, complete with a fountain she sculpted herself," Ray read from the article. The picture he was reading the description of was of an elderly woman with curly gray hair and a classic 70s floral dress. She was standing behind a statue of a man that was atop the fountain in the middle of her magnificent garden.

"It's from a couple of weeks after the last report was filed. Look at the statue," Nora said, pointing out the marble figure of a man on a pedestal atop a three tiered fountain. "It's the statue of David, just like the one in Rome."

"Why would that be suspicious?" Zari asked. "I'm sure hundreds of people have a replica in their backyard."

"Something feels magical about it," Nora murmured.

"Doesn't look like the work of a monster to me," Rory said, pointing at the human shaped footprints. "Probably just a bunch of kids messing around."

"Well bored teenagers or not, Gideon says this is the first sign of trouble, so that's where we should go," Ava said.

"And it's up to us to investigate. So I hope you're all ready to get your groove on because we are headed to the seventies." Sara said, with her usual finger guns.

"Blimey, that is David!" Charlie shrieked, zooming in on the picture.

"Yeah, that's what I just said," Nora replied.

"No, he's a troll, his name is David," Charlie explained. "I met him in the dimensional prison."

"Oh that's cool," Ray said.

"So cool," Zari said, as they first bumped.

"He's probably the monster in the video, and why everyone's garden is smashed."

"Nah it can't be. David's harmless, he wouldn't do this."

"What can you tell us about him?" Sara asked.

"I've only met him a handful of times, but it's your basic troll stuff. Turns to stone during the day and at night he comes to life, but he wouldn't do this. The only reason he got locked up in that place was because people were afraid of him. He was one of the only kind persons there. That witch must be manipulating him, I know it," Charlie said.

"I thought trolls were supposed to be ugly?" Rory wondered aloud.

"That's just the Christian influence, portraying the trolls as ugly monsters because they refused to be baptized and adapt to the new religion. So they told tales of them being uncivilized and dirty, in order to keep humans from interacting with them," Nora said.

"Sounds like familiar tactics," Zari grumbled.

"Okay everybody get strapped in," Sara said, walking up to her Captain's chair. "This time around Charlie, Ray and I will approach the house, talk to Mrs. Watkins, and try to find a time that we can safely take David to. Zari, you quarterback the mission from the ship and Ava, Mick, and Nora can case the place."

"Sara wait," Ava said, catching Sara's arm leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"If this woman is as powerful as she seems, I don't want you going anywhere near her."

Sara looked frustrated and glanced around the room at the others who were all staring at them.

"It's just a recon mission and I won't be in any danger. You'll be just around the corner and if anything goes wrong you can swoop in and save me. You said you'd let me do my job, and that you trusted me, so please, I'm asking you to trust me."

"Okay," Ava said, letting go of Sara's arm and sitting in the chair to her right.

"How are we supposed to get into this woman's house?" Charlie asked.

"Simple," Sara said, punching in the coordinates for the 1973 Florida suburb. "We'll just tell her we want to interview her for having the best garden in the county."

* * *

"This hat is itching me," Charlie said, picking at the straw hat that was atop her head.

"I'll wear it then," Ray said, taking the hat and putting it on his head.

"You look like a farmer," Sara said, taking it off his head and putting it in his bag. "We're supposed to be journalists."

"Look, she's coming," Charlie said as she peeked in the side window. Sara plastered on a big smile, but rubbed her stomach over her overalls. The nausea had eased over the past week, but was still a dull feeling that made her uneasy. There was also some sort of smell that she couldn't pinpoint and it wasn't helping.

Joan Watkins opened the door wearing a bright yellow sundress with sunflowers printed on it, similar to the shirt Ray was wearing under his jean overalls. As she smiled at them, Sara was happy she had convinced Charlie to put on a white flowered shirt to match, even if it was hidden behind her bulky camera.

"Well hello. How can I help you?" She asked.

"Hello, Mrs. Watkins," Ray said, straightening up. "We're from Garden and Backyard magazine and we were wondering if we could feature your garden in our annual 'local yard profile.' We heard about your garden from some of your neighbors and the other town's folk and we would love to profile you in this month's issue."

From the moment Joan opened the door Sara had recognized the Avon perfume from her grandfather's collection of bottles. She held her smile and her breath as her stomach did flip flops. The smell always made her crinkle her nose as a child, and now it's effects overwhelmed her senses.

"Oh well, I'd be honored to be in your magazine," Joan gushed. "Why don't you come on in and I'll lead you through to the garden."

"Why don't we walk around the side of the house? I'd love to see the path you have there," Sara suggested. There was a gentle breeze that would wash away any perfume that lingered on Joan.

"Sounds good," she easily agreed. "I've got some lovely sweet peas growing along the fence there."

"Well, I'll let you lead the way," Ray said, gesturing for her to go ahead of them.

Joan led them around the back, and Sara let Ray and Charlie go on in front of her. Ray turned on his natural charm, letting his personality shine and Joan took an instant liking to him. As they reached the garden, they spotted the fountain was in the middle of the oasis. Joan led them around, introducing them to all of her plants, making sure to tell them each plants' names.

"That's David all right," Charlie whispered to Sara, as they held up the camera to take a picture of him. "See the little chip under his shoulder."

Sara looked to where Charlie was pointing and saw the chip off of his shoulder blade. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Charlie said.

"Great, now get out of there," Ava chimed in their ears. "We found a vantage point in the forest behind the house and we can stake it out tonight. We'll take David back to the ship and interrogate him about Joan's plan and then make a move on her tomorrow."

"Give us a minute," Sara whispered back. "We still don't know what her plans are."

"Or how she's keeping David locked up in here," Charlie added.

"If we could get inside the house, Charlie could look around while Ray and I keep her occupied."

"No, it's too dangerous," Ava insisted.

Sara thought it over. She could pull Charlie back if Joan became too suspicious, but there was a chance that if discovered, she could hurt them and keep them captive.

"Are you sure I can't offer you folks any refreshments?"

"No, we really should get going," Sara said, lingering on the steps.

"Oh," she said, saddened by Sara's words. "It's just that I don't get many visitors these days. Most of my friends are in the old folks' home and I don't have any kids who come visit. It's always so nice to have young folk around."

"I'm sure we can stay for a little while, right?" Ray asked, looking back at her, from over Joan's shoulder she saw him mouth "We need to know her plan."

Ray was right. They couldn't leave without at least trying to figure out what Joan's plan was, but Sara didn't want to put herself and her child in unnecessary danger.

"I don't see why not. I'll go put the equipment in the car and meet you inside?."

Charlie handed Sara the camera and recorders before taking a cookie from the tray that had, literally, magically appeared in the older woman's hands. Sara was surprised that she had so blatantly used her magic in front of them. She quickly walked back down the steps, making some excuse about getting another picture of the sweet peas, as to why she was walking around the side of the house. When she opened the gate around the corner, Ava, Nora, and Mick were waiting for her.

"What did you find?" Sara asked as Ava moved to her side. Ava was never one for public affection, but nonetheless she wrapped her arm around Sara's waist. It was a bit possessive and protective, but Sara found comforting in it and let herself lean into Ava.

"Not much," Nora said, shrugging. "The rest of the neighborhood appears to be pretty quiet. We can't see any reason as to why David would stay if he isn't being held captive like Charlie believes."

"You think he's here willingly?" Sara asked.

"It appears so," Ava said.

"The woods out back lead to an open area where we can park and approach from the north," Mick said.

"Sounds good, we'll regroup and take a vantage point from there to watch over the garden and keep an eye on David. We'll see what happens tonight and then go from there."

"Why can't we just take it right now?" Mick asked, peeking around the corner and staring up at the statue. "It'd be a hell of a lot easier than taking someone that wiggles."

"We need to wait until Joan is asleep. We can't risk her finding out about our plan to stop her before we get the chance to do so," Ava explained.

Mick gave a shrug and nodded. Sara handed them the camera and recorders, then walked around the front and climbed up the porch to open the front door. She could already feel the perfume invading her nostrils, and just the thought of going back inside made her stomach churn.

"Sara wait," Ava said.

"Are you going to be okay going back in there?" Nora asked. She and Ava stood on the front porch steps behind Sara, with equal looks of worry.

"Yes, I'll be fine," Sara said in a firm tone, a little annoyed that none of them thought she could handle herself. If something happened, she knew she could take care of herself, even if she was nauseous at the thought of the Avon perfume. Sara pushed forward, determined to not let Ava and Nora's worry determine her actions.

Sara carefully opened the screen door and held her breath as she pushed open the front door. For a moment everything was fine, and she could handle her nausea. Sara breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped on to the plush yellow carpets, but she made the mistake of taking a deep breath in. The smell of the perfume assaulted her senses, making her gag.

Sara raced out of the house, letting the screen door slam behind her as she leaned over the side of the porch, vomiting into the Rhododendrons. Sara sighed and closed her eyes, more embarrassed than anything, leaning her forehead against her forearm on the railing.

Ava had rushed to her side the moment Sara had started running away from the house and held back her hair, quickly tying it up into a messy bun.

"There, there," Nora said, awkwardly patting her back.

Sara heard the sound of running water and looked up just enough to see Rory washing away her mess with the garden hose.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Rory just grunted and Ava and Nora continued to pat her back until her stomach settled and she felt like she could stand up straight again.

Sara looked over at them and her expression must have conveyed her nausea and sudden exhaustion, as Nora said. "I'll go get the others and meet you back on the Waverider."

"Let's go lie down," Ava said, guiding her away from the railing.

"Come on Boss," Mick said, leading them down the steps of the porch.

* * *

After a quick jump to several hours later, they all approach the house on foot.

"Okay, is everybody clear on the plan?" Sara asked, looking at the garden through her binoculars.

The sun was setting low on the horizon as it's golden rays touched the rooftops. Ava and Sara were several meters away, hidden deep in the forest. Charlie, Mick, and Nora were directly behind the fence, in the woods behind the garden, while Ray and Zari on Mithra flew overhead on Mithra, staking out the area.

Ava nodding to her while the comms came alive with Ray and Nora's response.

"Clear," Ray said.

"Crystal," Nora added.

The rest of the Legends sounded off with their agreement, but there was a moment of silence as Sara waited for the last member of her crew to respond.

"Charlie?" Sara asked. Charlie had an emotional investment in this one, but Sara didn't want them doing anything rash.

"Yeah," Charlie finally said with a hint of anxiety in their voice.

Sara adjusted her comm so that only Charlie could hear her.

"It's going to be okay," Sara assured them. "But if it goes awry, you have my permission to grab David and go straight back to the Waverider."

"When have I ever done anything straight?" Charlie asked, turning around and giving Sara a wink that she caught through her binoculars.

The sun set below the horizon, taking its golden rays with it, and they waited to see if David would come to life. Before the last drop of sunlight disappeared, letting the night take its place, Joan appeared on the porch. They all watched as she cast a spell that grew into a shield that encaptured the whole garden, appearing to set itself on top of the fence.

She went inside as the night took its place and sure enough they watched as David's hard form grew soft. It was like watching a sponge grow and change in water. However he didn't move from his perch, he simply sat down and let his feet dangle in the water. Even from her position and using the binoculars, Sara could see him let out a heavy sigh.

Everyone quieted down as they waited for the old lady to head to bed. She was parked in her recliner, watching late night TV. The blue glow cast a shadow around the living room, while the string of lights from the trees and the lamps around the fountain illuminated the garden, turning on one by one.

They didn't have to wait long till she set her knitting aside. Before she headed up the stairs, she walked out to the porch and stared at the Garden, looking from side to side. She left a tray of food on the table and, satisfied everything was in place, she closed the door and turned off the indoor lights.

They continued to wait until they watched her bedroom light go out. Nora cast her purple magic over the house and the neighbors, sending Joan and the rest of the neighborhood into a deep sleep. It was supposed to be a stealth mission, with an easy in and out. Although, Sara suspected that like many of their missions, it wouldn't go quite as planned.

"It's all clear," Nora whispered through the comms.

Sara gave the signal and Charlie, Nora, and Ray ran towards the garden wall. Rory met up with Zari and Mithra as they landed in the woods just outside the backyard as Ava and Sara moved forward.

No sooner had they all converge at the side of the fence, when Charlie vaulted themselves over the wall. Despite everyone's protests, there was no stopping them. The jump should have propelled them over, but instead, they smacked themselves against the invisible force. Charlie was stuck to the top of the wall like a fly smashed against a window.

"What the bloody hell?" They said, trying and failing to wiggle out. "Get me down from here."

"Well, what did you think would happen?" Sara snipped at them.

"Charlie?" A new voice called out to them. The Legends all looked over to see that David had hopped down from the fountain and ran across the garden to them. "Is that really you?"

"David," Charlie said, smiling down at him.

"I thought no one would come for me," he proclaimed. "I have been stuck here for years. Listening to that old bat go on and on about her prized garden."

"Don't worry," Charlie said. "We're here to get you out."

"Thank you," he said.

"There must be a way to take down the barrier," Ava said, as she glanced at it from their side.

Ray and Mick pulled Charlie off and helped them down as Nora began a spell. Her hand clouded as her magic floated around her. Soon the barrier was illuminated like a soft blue force field.

"It's going to take a lot of energy to bring it down," Nora said. "You can attack it, like a barrier or piece of glass, it will break with the right amount of force."

Sara whipped out her twin batons twirling them around in her hands, "Then let's get cracking!"

Ava put her head in her hands and the rest of her crew moaned at her pun.

"Hey, that one was good!" Sara said.

Everyone attacked the wall. Mick fired his Heat Gun across the top, and Mithra added their flames to the fire as Zari used the force of her winds to blow the flames onto one spot. Ray flew up in his atom suit, blasting the wall alongside Nora as she pushed an energy beam into the center. Sara screamed as loud as she could, using her canary cry, while Ava shot the wall, and Charlie hit it with as much force as they could muster.

Soon enough there were clear dents and cracks in the barrier, spreading like spider webs across the force field. Nora gave one last push and the whole thing cracked, splitting down the center and evaporating around them.

Sara held up her hand stalling their actions, and they all grew quiet. The sound of them breaking the forcefield apart could have woken anyone up, and she wanted to be sure they wouldn't get caught before moving forward.

Charlie ignored her order and leaped forward over the wall with ease, David catching them. His hands on their waist, he brought them in for a hug and spun them around. Zari's eyes widened, and she quickly flew over the wall. Nora picked up Sara, flying them over the fence as Ray followed with Ava and Mick climbed up and over, the last of them to set foot in the garden.

"Oh thank you, thank you," David said, finally setting Charlie down.

"Of course, I'd do anything for you," Charlie said, looking up at David with a sparkling eye.

Zari was at their side in a second, securing her place next to Charlie by wrapping an arm around their waist. Charlie leaned into their girlfriend and placed a hand on her chest.

"David this is my girlfriend, Zari, and these are my friends, Ray, Nora, Mick, Ava, and Sara."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," he said, giving them a curtsy. "But perhaps pleasantries can be saved for when we have left this enchanted place."

Just as he spoke, the sky darkened above them. All the light from the trees and lamps flickered out as low hanging clouds descended upon them. The ground rumbled as a figure stepped out onto the deck.

"And where do you think you're going?" Joan Watkins said. Gone was the sweet old lady who had offered them scones and lemonade. In her place was a gray and grouchy old woman who seemed to tower above them, in strength and in wills.

"Far away from you, you old bat," Charlie sneered.

"How dare you," she screamed. "I have shown you nothing but kindness since the moment I rescued you from that nightmare."

"You did not rescue me," David insisted, standing tall in front of them. "You took me by force and have imprisoned me here."

"I gave you everything you could have wanted, and this is how you repay me? I have given you a beautiful sanctuary and you dare tarnish it. I have asked you to do one thing, and you have refused."

"I didn't know that the deal to live in your garden included giving you my life and letting you use me to destroy the world."

Sara watched the argument take place and pressed a finger to her comms. "Okay, Charlie, and I will get David to the Waverider while the rest of you stay here and subdue her. Gideon, I need you to fire up the engines and be ready for us the moment we step on board."

"Right away captain," Gideon replied in her ear.

The rest of the Legends nodded, but Rory, Ava, and Nora gave her a wary look, along with the light being blocked out by the dark blanket of clouds that surrounded them. A strong wind had picked up, blowing their hair and clothes up. The wind whipped right through them, chilling them to the bone.

"Go," Sara yelled, not knowing how soon this could escalate; she wanted to move and get everyone out of there as soon as possible. Ava hesitated, looking like she wanted to follow Sara, but nodded and charged Joan with the others.

Charlie and Sara dragged David away as Mick and Nora stepped up to the witch.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Joan let out a blast that was easily blocked by Nora. The two met against each other in a struggle as Ray and Zari, on Mithra, flew off on Mithra , blasting her from behind. Sara, Charlie, and David quickly headed for the fence. David broke through, and Charlie and Sara quickly followed him out. Sara brought up the rear as Charlie led them to the forest with David between them, not looking back as they rushed towards the Waverider.

Suddenly Joan was in front of them, her face the picture of rage. Sara could see actual fire in her eyes. She pushed her hands out, sending a blast of energy that pushed them all aside.

Sara got up quickly as Charlie and David took the brunt of it, staying down. She let out a cry and Joan crumpled over as she covered her ears. She had fought a lot of magical people over the past few years and she could hold her own, even without her cry. However, Sara didn't want to risk it, instead choosing to hold her down with her cry until one of the others could reach them.

Sara grounded herself and prepared to let out another cry, but Joan caught her breath, forcing Sara's mouth closed. Then, she looked at Sara like she was seeing her for the first time.

"You have a second life inside of you."

Sara froze, covering her stomach with her hands, fearful for her baby's safety. She looked into the eyes of this woman, but the fire had been put out and all Sara saw was want and grief.

That all faded in an instant as reality came back to them. Sara heard Mithra roar above them as Zari swooped towards them. Sara looked back to see Rory, Ava, and Nora a dozen paces behind them. She looked back at Joan to see the shift in her emotions. Gone was the mercy she had for Sara and Sara's eyes widened as she saw the power Joan summoned. Before she could turn and run, that power shot out past Sara to the others, who were swept out of its path by Ray.

The force of it knocked Sara down and she hit the ground hard. The air was forced from her lungs and she laid there gasping for air. Sara closed her eyes and her hand flew to her stomach, her baby. She took a deep breath and assessed herself, she was fine. Joan had pushed her aside in favor of hitting Nora, her equal foe.

She sat up and looked around. Zari had dismounted, Mithra looked injured, but they both ran ahead of her. She saw Zari grab Charlie and push them forward, but David was nowhere to be found. Zari looked back, and Sara nodded at her to continue.

Sara looked back to see that Joan had a hold on David and was dragging him back. Ray, Rory, and Nora were attacking her, with little effect. Sara got up and followed them towards the Waverider, catching up to them inside the cargo bay. Sara saw Zari and Charlie inside, seated on the storage boxes with Mithra resting her head on the door. Before she could check them over, they heard Charlie scream, not in fear, but in pain.

Zari got up and ran past her; Mithra tried to follow, but Zari gave her an order to stay. The full sized dragon collapsed, leaning their head upon the cargo bay door. Sara watched as Joan dragged David behind while creating a bubble around them that Ray, Nora, and Mick raged on. Outside, Sara saw Charlie's phasing falter as Charlie blinked into view from behind the mask of David they had assumed.

Sara looked back to see David seated on one of the cargo boxes. He was dressed in Charlie's clothes, a leather jacket, with her hairpiece and red plaid pants.

Suddenly Ava was standing in front of her, grabbing ahold of her shoulders and looking her over.

"Are you alright? Did she hurt you? Is the baby okay?" Ava frantically asked while she scanned over Sara.

"We're fine, I promise."

Ava breathed a sigh of relief and she pulled Sara in for a hug, and for a moment Sara melted in her arms. She forgot about the battle raging outside and closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort of Ava's arms. Charlie's second scream broke them apart as Sara stepped away from her, but Ava held her back with an arm around her waist.

"We're too far away I can't see what was going on," Sara said, panic setting back in. "Gideon, pull up the cameras of the area."

The TV screen across the room quickly displayed one of the external cameras, and they could see that Joan had flown up onto the fountain and was holding Charlie down. They continued to scream as she fused their feet in place.

"Charlie," Ava whispered.

Sara and Ava exchanged a look and Ava nodded then took off, leaving Sara alone, but safe, on the Waverider.

"Gideon, get us in the air over them."

"Right away Captain," she replied and Sara felt the ship lift off underneath her.

"Charlie, she took my place. She's still out there, that monster is hurting her," David said, getting up and trying to walk out.

Sara stepped in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Charlie knew what they were doing and everyone else is looking out for them."

"She's a seedling, Joan. Her magic is attached to her garden. If you kill the garden you kill the witch," David said.

Sara nodded and went to the screen, pulling up coverage of the garden. The Legends were trying in vain to break the shield Joan had around herself and Charlie, attacking it from all sides.

* * *

As soon as Ava left Sara's side, she bolted for the rest of the Legends as they fought the witch and tried to free Charlie. All of her worry for Sara had faded, but was replaced with worry for her family. She pushed her legs to run faster, thanking herself for getting up early and running each morning as she was soon upon them.

"Guys," Sara's voice filled her ear as she broadcast across the comms. "David said that Joan's power is connected to her garden. You need to destroy it."

"Yeah, now you're talking," Mick said, she watched as he turned his Heat Gun to the plants surrounding him and set them aflame.

"Zari, follow his lead and burn that side of the garden," Ava said as she ran towards them and stopped next to Nora.

Ray and Zari soon joined in, Zari's wind sent the flames higher and flooded the garden. Ray kept it from getting out of hand or spreading to the neighbor's homes.

Ava watched as Joan's power faded and the shield around her fell away. She screamed in pain and tried to no avail to stop their flames, but the fire raged on.

"Nora, create a path so that I can get to Charlie," Ava said.

Nora nodded and cleared a path through the flames that left just the black and burnt plants, leading straight to the fountain where Charlie was still frozen in place. Joan jumped down to try to stop the flames that surrounded her and Nora took her chance.

Ava quickly climbed up and assessed where Charlie was stuck in the stone.

"Hold still," Ava yelled over the flames, she put one arm around Charlie supporting them and pulled out her blaster.

"Just shoot! I'll grow a new pair of feet," Charlie said, burying their face in the crook of Ava's arm.

Despite their permission, Ava tried to aim at the stone. She took a moment and focused on the shot before pulling the trigger. The blast broke the fountain in half and they both fell back into the water. Charlie quickly changed their feet, and they both jumped out of the water and ran.

Nora turned and summoned one last blast, hitting Joan and she turning her to stone. Zari choked the flames and the fire died, leaving only darkness until one by one the street lamps turned on and illuminated the area.

Like the breaking of a spell, the beauty of the garden had faded away and ashes settled around them. The plants were black and dried up, as nothing had survived the fire. The house, which had been swallowed up by the fire, had the roof caved in. The summer night and the heat it brought with it descended as the crickets and frogs resumed their song, but an eerie feeling fell across the yard.

The Waverider landed in front of them and they all boarded, covered in soot but unhurt. Mick was smiling like it was the best day of his life, and Ava supposed that it was. They converged in the Med Bay with Sara standing next to David in one of the chairs.

"Good work out there guys," Sara said, smiling as they all filtered in.

"Hey," Mona said, popping her head in before rounding the corner, followed by Nate and Behrad. "I hitched a ride with these two because I missed you guys and it looks like I missed a mission. What happened?"

Ray and Nora filled her in, and Zari asked Behrad and Nate how dinner went, but Ava ignored them and walked over to Sara. She tried to casually grab Sara's hand, seeking her out, but of course, Sara saw right through her. Sara chuckled, going up on her toes and catching Ava's face with her hands and kissing her. Ava melted, how could she not? She let her worries, anxieties and all the stress from the past events fade away as she took in Sara's warm lips.

"How are you doing?" Ava asked when they parted, as the Legends all whistled.

"Both mother and baby are doing fine," Gideon said.

"Gideon!" Sara chastised.

There was a pregnant pause as Ava and Sara froze, watching everyone process the information. Everyone's face went through a different process, until they all started talking at once. Ray, Zari, and Behrad asked questions about the pregnancy, Mona squealed, and Nate and Charlie asked 'what the hell was going on?'

Sara chuckled and Ava wrapped her arm around her. She placed her other hand on Sara's stomach, finally free to do so in front of the others.

They let them carry on for another second before Sara put two fingers in her mouth and let out a quick whistle. They all quieted down, as they knew none of their questions would be answered if they didn't.

"Yes, I'm pregnant. Ava and I are having a baby," Sara said, leaning into Ava.

"Don't ask how," Ava added, seeing the question on both Charlie and Nate's open mouths.

They both sighed, but Ray gave them a disgruntled look.

"When are you due? How far along are you? Well, I guess that's kinda the same question, this is very exciting. I'm excited, for you of course," Ray blurted out all at once. He rolled from his heels to his toes as Nora wrapped an arm around him and placed her hand on his chest.

"I'm 12 weeks," Sara said, as she and Ava smiled at his excitement.

Everyone paused to try and figure it out; Charlie counted on their fingers and Behrad's mouth moved as he did the math under his breath.

"She's four months along and due August 20th," Nora said.

"Oh," Mona said. "Wait how do you know the exact date?"

Suddenly all eyes were on Nora, but it was Mick who spoke up.

"Blondie told me she was pregnant a few weeks ago, and Princess knew from the start."

"You knew when they conceived?" Zari asked, both in disbelief and disgust.

Charlie laughed and David hid his chuckle, while Ray's eyes went wide as he stared at her.

"No, I could sense the baby's energy inside of Sara when she was about five weeks," Nora explained.

"You know that actually explains a lot," Behrad said. "The naps, the missed meals, and team building stuff."

"The vomit in the kitchen sink," Ray said accusingly towards her.

"That wasn't me!" Sara insisted having already been through Ray's interrogation a few days ago when he had found puke at the bottom of the sink under a pile of dishes.

She looked over at the Legends, zeroing in on Charlie who was looking down and nudging at the chip in David's foot.

Ray looked at them accusingly, but dropped it thankfully.

"Come on. Let's go back to the galley," Ava said, rubbing Sara's arm. "None of us have eaten and I'm sure we could just warm up dinner and continue this conversation there."

"Ava?" Sara whispered, looked up at her. "Can we go back to my room?"

Ava gave her a soft and knowing smile; dinner in bed had become a habit Ava was reluctant to do, but Sara knew she'd never refuse. "Go lay down and I'll bring you a plate."

Charlie coughed, "Whipped."

"We can continue this in the morning," Sara said, ignoring them.

"What about David?" Zari asked.

"I'd like to go home," He said sitting up. "I have family in Scotland and I'd like to see them again."

Sara nodded. "We'll look for your family and try and take you home tomorrow."

Ray looked around at all the other Legends and sensing that their little meeting was coming to a close said. "Well, I think we're all in need of a group hug!"

"Ugh," Mick shouted, not entirely fond of this certain display of affection, but willing to partake nonetheless.

Ray had stretched out his arms and brought in Nora and Nate who were standing next to him. This led to a chain effect of all the Legends scrunching in together with their arms around each other.

"No squishing." Ava insisted, as all the Legend settled around her and Sara in a loving embrace.

"No promises," Mona said, as she wiggled her way to Ava's other side.

Ava leaned down and kissed Sara's forehead as the others around them held her tight, and she didn't mind taking the force of their crushing hugs. After a minute, everyone reluctantly parted, slowly untangling themselves from the mess of arms and unrestricted affection.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Charlie said, pulling David out of the room, with Zari hot on their heels.

Slowly, the Legends all said their goodnights and goodbyes, filtering out of the Med Bay and down the hall towards their cabins. Ava still had her arm around Sara as they walked down the hall. Sara leaned into her side and snuggled up to Ava's warm, tall frame. They stopped in front of the door to their cabin and Sara put her other arm around Ava's waist, pulling on her hips, asking Ava to face her.

"Why don't we go back to our house?" Sara asked, in a soft voice.

"Are you sure?" Ava asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she looked down at Sara. "We can stay here tonight. I don't mind."

"I want to go home with you," Sara said, rubbing Ava's hips and looking up at her.

Ava smiled, leaned down, and pasted her lips to Sara's, moaning into their soft kiss before pulling away, but leaning their foreheads together.

"Then let's go home," Ava said, opening a portal for them to step through.

* * *

"We have got to talk about this!" Zari said, through a mouth full of food. They were all seated around the table digging into the food, but hadn't started talking yet.

"What's there to talk about?" Mick asked, as he also shoved his face full of the leftover dinner.

"Hello," Zari said, waving her fork around. "What are we going to do when Sara goes on maternity leave?"

Ray shrugged. "It's not like Sara's ever left us alone. She's left with Ava and been injured before. I've been intermediate captain a dozen times."

"Yeah, we'll do fine," Charlie said.

"I don't know," Nora said from where she sat next to Ray at the table. "Our success rate when Sara isn't here is usually only like 60%."

"Exactly! If we're going to do this without her around to captain us, then we need to do better," Zari proclaimed. They all looked over at her as Zari stood up and paced around the room. "We need to up our wins and work better as a team."

They all looked at each other with skeptical looks, before Mona jumped up, striding to stand next to her. "Zari's right."

"She is?" Behrad asked, only to have his head slapped by Charlie.

"Yes, I am. Now, Ray, I need you to make up a training schedule. Nate, I want you to identify our biggest threats, and Nora, I want you to come up with ways to tackle them. The rest of us are going to stick to Ray's schedule and train hard."

"Yeah!" Charlie yelled, jumping up. The rest of the Legends echoed their enthusiastic cry.

"I'll make up the schedule now!" Ray said, pulling out a pad and pen.

Zari and Mona returned to their seats and to their plates of food. She was sure they could do this on their own, a far feat from what she thought was possible when she first met her brother's idiot friends. They were screw ups back then, and to be honest, they still were.

Sure they weren't always the best team on the block, but they got it done and made time better. Their big hearts made up for the one brain cell they all shared. They made the world slightly better, but most importantly, they kept time safe, and she would prove that they could do this without adult supervision. They had done it before and they'd do it again, she'd make sure of it.


	5. Goin' Faster Than a Roller Coaster

**AN: IT'S HERE! I was gonna post it** earlier **but then the crisis happened and Quentin came back and I had to go rewrite several scenes, but it was worth it because I love Quentin and Sara's relationship. So enjoy!**

* * *

February 27th, 2020. Week Fifteen.

Ava woke up and sighed, pulling her arm over to check her watch as the gray light of the morning eased in through the open curtains. It was early, but she liked to be up with the sun and she started to sit up, only to realize her other arm was pinned under Sara. She started to pull it out, but Sara rolled over to face her and cuddled into her side.

Ava melted and smiled down at her love. Sara's hair was messy and there was a line of drool falling from her open mouth, but Ava loved all of it. She placed a kiss to Sara's head and settled in, grabbing her phone and reading glasses from the nightstand. Ava snaked her hand down to Sara's stomach. Every morning she checked to see if Sara had started showing, although she knew Sara probably wouldn't start showing until she was further along.

Even though she couldn't feel or visibly see the baby, she could hear them. Ava reached over and grabbed her the current heartbeat patch and placed it in the middle of Sara's abdomen, under her belly button. When she opened the app, it flooded her speakers with the sound of the fast and steady heartbeat of their baby. Ava sighed in content, as an easy and light smile spread across her face. She was so in love with the baby, she couldn't believe she was lucky enough to have this chance.

Ava settled in, and after browsing social media for a few minutes with the heartbeat playing in the background she felt Sara stir. She looked over and smiled as Sara gazed lazily up at her.

"Good morning," Ava said, kissing Sara's lips.

"Morin'," Sara said with a yawn. "Are you playing the heartbeat?"

"Yeah, is that okay?"

"Yeah, I like hearing it too," Sara said, stretching out her arms and legs.

"Hey, guess what?" Ava asked, biting her lip to try and keep a straight face.

"What?" Sara asked, tilting her head.

Ava smiled, the happiness filling her face. "You're 14 weeks pregnant. Welcome to the second trimester honey."

Sara smiled so brightly, and Ava let the excitement fill her as Sara placed a hand over her own. Sara leaned in and kissed Ava, bringing her other hand up to Ava's cheek. When she pulled back, Ava smiled and just stared at her.

"What?" Sara asked, as if she had never had that lover's gaze.

"I am in awe of you," Ava smiled, with a dopey look in her eyes.

Sara laughed and moved her hands to tickle Ava's side. Ava rolled them, trying to get away. She was careful to not put her weight on Sara until she accidentally rolled them off the bed. Ava landed with Sara on top of her and the short fall thankfully did not bruise her butt. Ava paused looking Sara over for damage, but Sara burst out laughing and leaned down to brush away the hair in Ava's face.

"I love you too," Sara said, leaning down and kissing her again.

When they parted, Sara got up and Ava pulled herself up, grabbing the blanket and sheets they had pulled over with them.

"Now come on, squirt and I are hungry," Sara said, walking out of the room.

"Oh no," Ava said, dropping the blankets onto the bed. "We are not nicknaming them squirt."

Zari walked through the ship. It was early in the morning, but with the bright lights, one couldn't tell. Charlie had rolled over in their bed after she finished her prayers and had instructed her to bring back some extra pancakes. So she ventured out, in search of pancakes. As she passed the lab, Zari noticed Sara on the equipment with her headphones in doing pull ups on the bar. Zari was surprised to see Sara back in the gym. What used to be a daily occurrence was now a rarity.

She decided to stop in and see if Sara wanted to take a break for breakfast, something they had usually done in the past.

"Hey Captain," Zari said, catching Sara's attention as she walked in.

Sara dropped from the bar and turn ed around with a smile, pulling out her headphones. "Hey Z? Did you just finish your prayers?"

"Yeah, it looks like you're feeling better."

"Yeah, it felt good to do something physical again, even if I'm still not able to do what I'm used too,"

"Yeah, because God forbid you bench press a dragon."

Mithra wandered in and squawked, then jumped up into Sara's arms. They both laughed as Zari leaned over and scratched their head as they settled into Sara's arms, clearly enjoying the attention.

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast," Sara said.

* * *

Mithra put both front paws on the table as they eyed Zari's falafels. Their pupils were dilated and they licked their lips, leaning in towards the food.

"Mithra no!" Sara said, setting her mug of coffee down next to them.

The miniature dragon growled, bearing their teeth at Sara only to be met with the Captain's glare. They knew better than to mess with Sara, and quickly hop ped down from the chair to beg at Zari's feet.

Sara smiled triumphantly and stole one of Zari's falafels.

"Ah, I thought you had breakfast at Ava's," Zari protested, sitting down with her cup of tea.

Sara frowned and pouted as she put a hand on her belly. "But the baby's hungry."

"May Allah suffice," Zari deadpanned.

Sara continued to pout as Zari stared at her uncaring, until they both cracked a smile and started laughing. When they finally got the giggles under control, they started eating their respective meals.

"You know I'm glad I caught you this morning, there is one thing I've been wanting to talk to you about," Sara said, setting down her spoon.

Zari pinched her eyebrows together in a quizzical look. "And what's that?"

"Well, I'd like you to take over and lead the Legends after I have the baby."

Zari immediately dropped her fork and shook her head. "No, no, no, I do not want to be Captain. They'd never listen to me and I'd just screw things up."

"No you wouldn't," Sara insisted reaching over to squeeze Zari's hand. "And they will listen to you because they already do. I know that you can do this Zari!"

"But what if I can't? What if I make a mistake and it gets someone hurt or what if I create a hole in time that swallows up a country?" Zari asked her, and Sara could see the fear she had in her eyes.

"You are going to make mistakes and despite your best intentions and planning, someone might get hurt, but you can't let that stop you. We're screw ups by nature, but the good we do outweighs those little mistakes. I know you can do this Zari. You can be the leader I know you are." Sara tried to convey every bit of assurance she had for Zari into her words, hoping that Zari could see how ready she was.

"The only leader I am is the leader of a YouTube following. I can get people to stop being afraid of magical creatures or incite protest for a good cause, but that's all it is, a call to action. I inspire people to make the right decision, I can't tell them what to do." Zari looking down at her plate. Mithra placed their paws on Zari's knees and nudged her stomach with their snout.

"You can do more than that, I know you're capable of doing this," Sara said, as Zari looked up at her, but Sara could tell she wouldn't be convinced. "Just think about it, please?"

"Okay," Zari said squeezing her hand.

"Ugh." Nora groaned, and they looked up to see her walking into the kitchen with her eyes closed.

Zari dropped her hand and they remained quiet, letting the half awake zombie get her coffee. Of course, two seconds later Ray bounded into the kitchen with his usual morning cheer.

"Hey," Zari said.

"Good morning." Sara greeted them.

They didn't expect much from Nora other than her usual groan on our way as she made her way over to the table, but Ray, however, laughed and smiled at them.

"صباح الخير" Ray said. "Good morning, or at least I think that's good morning I don't exactly know for sure."

It was then that they realized that they had been talking in Arabic the entire morning. It was a usual occurrence as it was the first language they spoke in the morning. Zari tended not to switch over after her prayers and Sara was used to the language and hearing it spoken made her switch over too.

"Good morning," they said together in English, so they could talk to Ray.

It was at least another hour until the rest of the crew wandered in getting breakfast in various states of dress.

Charlie swaggered in last as always and grabbed a stack of pancakes. "I thought I asked for breakfast in bed?"

"What can I say, I found better company," Zari smirked up at them.

"There's no better company than me, Love." Charlie raised an eyebrow before pulling up a seat next to Zari and popping her feet up on the table.

"Feet down, please," Sara said, breaking out her 'mom' voice.

"Why? You've got your feet up." Charlie said pointing to the chair next to Sara that she had her feet on.

"Yeah, because I'm pregnant," Sara said, placing a hand on her belly. "And my feet hurt."

"I thought your ankles didn't start swelling until you were like you know," Mick said sticking his arm out to represent a big belly.

"Actually they can occur earlier and Sara's been on her feet a lot which can lead to more stress on her joints and bones, and putting your feet up also helps prevent varicose veins which can start to appear around this time," Ray said waving around the spoon from his cereal.

Suddenly all eyes were on him eager to know his sudden knowledge of pregnancy.

"What? I just read that What to Expect book that Sara had lying around I figured it would be good in case Nora or I wanted to have a baby. Not that we're trying to have a baby just that in the future it's best to be prepared." He babbled turning a deep shade of red as Nora gave him a look with a raised eyebrow and tight lips.

"Okay well since you're all here. We need to go over the schedule for today," Sara said.

Sara's announcement was met with groans and grunts as Charlie rolled her eyes, Nora dropped her head down into her folded arms, and Nate leaned back in his chair, groaning up at the ceiling.

"Do you want me to do this later?" Sara asked.

"No!" Everyone said and knowing she would deliberately wait until they were focused on whatever free time activity they had chosen.

"Well I looked over the training schedules Zari had and together we've made a few tweaks. I like the direction it's going so we will continue with that. As for anachronisms, there isn't too much going on so well just hang out unless something urgent pops up."

"Does this mean you'll be training us?" Behrad asked.

"Yes, but, my goal is for you guys to function as a team without me in the field, but I'll still be on your comms giving directions from the Waverider until I go on maternity leave, at which time I'll have someone else step up as Captain."

"So does that mean you're retiring the canary costume?" Charlie asked.

"We'll see, but for now I'll be providing backup from the Waverider."

"Sounds good," Ray said as the rest of the Legends nodded or verbally agreed with him.

"Does that mean I can finish waking up now?" Nora asked, her eyes barely open.

"Of course," Sara said, hiding her laugh. "Just remember to meet up in the gym at two."

* * *

Ava was on cloud nine as she walked into the Time Bureau that morning. She was going to be a mom. All she could think about was the sound of the heartbeat that she had heard that morning. Ava wished she had recorded it on her phone so that she could always listen to it. Needless to say, she was distracted and didn't see Gary until he was about to run into her. The coffee sloshed over her hand and dripped onto her white blouse as well as Gary's shirt and tie.

"Gary watch where you're going."

"I'm so sorry Director Sharpe, but I think you are the one who was a bit distracted. So what's on the old noggin today? Were you thinking about Sara and the baby? Are they doing okay, you know I could bring over some of my famous chicken soup. Apparently, it does wonders for morning sickness…"

"Gary!" Ava whisper yelled, shushing him and pulling him into her office. "Sara and I haven't announced the pregnancy yet and I don't want the whole department to know just yet. "

"Right, Sorry again Director Sharpe. It's just so exciting," he said jumping up and doing a full body wiggle in excitement.

Ava couldn't help but smile and giggle as well. It was exciting and she was over the moon.

"Director Sharpe." Rip knocked on her door.

"Come in Mr. Hunter."

"Good morning," He said to them holding a stack of paper, he took one look at their badly hidden smiles and adopted his fatherly inquisitive face. "What's going on in here?"

"Ava's excited about the baby!"

"Gary!"

Rip just chuckled and gave her a gentle smile. "And rightfully so, how is Sara doing?"

"She's doing good, happy to be over the morning sickness."

"That's good to hear," Rip said, "I remember how hard it was for Miranda. By the way, we've been meaning to have you both over for dinner."

"We'd love to, whenever you'll have us," Ava said.

"And you too, of course, Gary," Rip added, looking over to where Gary was smiling awkwardly next to them.

"Oh, I'll bring my Mom's Roz Bel Laban," Gary said, his smile genuine.

"Yes well, as much as I would like to continue this we must go over the reviews for the meeting today," Rip said setting the files on her desk.

"Right, the reviews," Ava said. Normally she would be more prepared and would have come in much earlier to get started, but she had completely forgotten.

Sara and the baby had taken over her mind. Despite that, Ava loved the quarterly reviews as it was a chance to review her knowledge of the Bureau's policies. It was also a time to enact new policies and changes brought forward by the department's heads each year. Ava and Gary both picked up a different set of files as Ava glanced over the first few pages.

"The meeting starts in about 20 minutes, which means we have just enough time to glance over them on the way over there," Rip said.

"Right, I'll lead the way," Ava said, picking up the rest of paperwork and depositing it into Gary's arms. "Let's go."

Ava tried to pay attention as they went over the new policy for paid sick leave, but she just couldn't concentrate as thoughts of Sara and the baby filled her mind. She nodded along as Rip detailed the benefits of giving employees proper time to be well rested and ready to return to work as well as the decreased spread of disease, but she couldn't help but sigh in relief as they finally moved on to the next subject.

"Now on to maternity leave, our current policy is three weeks of paid and an additional three of unpaid leave for expectant mothers and two weeks for their prospective partners." Rip said.

"That should be sufficient," Bill from accounting said. "We're not here to pay for parenting am I right?"

"I think that's hardly enough time don't you agree Director Sharpe," Rip said, getting Ava's attention. As she looked around, it took a second for her brain to process what had been said, until it clicked that she would only get two weeks with Sara and their new baby, before she would I have to go back to work for eight hours a day.

Ava sat up straighter and was able to quickly respond. "Most certainly not. For one thing, I can't believe we have such an ancient policy on paternity leave and the maternity leave is not sufficient."

"Well surely someone can just use their paid vacation time as well Director," Bill said.

"But they shouldn't have to," Ava argued, trying not to get emotional. "This has to be changed. Gary, what are the policies in other countries and agencies?"

"I agree, I agree with Director Sharpe on this one," Hank said, and Ava was surprised to find an unlikely ally. "When Nathaniel was born Dorothy and I had to spend a month in the hospital as Nathaniel was admitted to the NICU and eventually diagnosed with hemophilia. Once he was released it was quite an adjustment at home, as just like any newborn, Nathaniel was up every few hours a day and night. I returned to work after a week, but it was just too much for Dorothy to handle on her own. I tried to help out as much as I could for the time that I was home and during the night, but both of us were exhausted, sleep deprived, new parents and I ended up taking some extra vacation time. Having those two extra weeks with Dorothy and Nathaniel meant a world of difference."

"I agree with Mr. Heywood," Rip added. "Miranda and I had six months of time off, with the help of time travel. It was a valuable time for the three of us, and I was happy to be there to support my wife and get to know and care for my son. Perhaps we can do some research into the Canadian and European models and revisit this policy at another time, for now, let's move on to vacation time."

Ava gave Rip a small smile, as he had no doubt planned this, he returned her smile with a wink and they continued with the review.

* * *

March 8nd, 2020. Week Sixteen.

Sara surveyed the security footage from her position on the bridge. She watched as Nate's blue shirt and laser gun disappeared into a blind spot near the bathroom door in the hallway. They had been doing these mock drills over the past few days; so far it had just been one disaster after another.

"See anything?" Ray asked as he and Nora crept towards Nate, both wearing red shirts.

"Not yet," Sara replied. They had decided that a simple game of capture the flag with the use of laser tag would be a good mock exercise. "But be careful."

Sara could sense the ambush coming, but she held off on telling them. She wanted to see if they could catch on and deal with it without her. So she watched as Nora and Ray went straight towards the ambush that Nate, Mick, and Charlie had set up. Just as Nora and Ray were in position, Nate and Mick ambushed them, shooting Nora and convincing Ray to give up his vest. Charlie shifted into Ray's tall frame and headed to the kitchen, approaching Zari.

Constantine made a play for the flag and Sara watched as Charlie pretended to team up with Zari and takedown Constantine. Once they had Constantine tied up in one of the kitchen chairs Zari turned her attention towards Charlie-Ray and shot him, but as they were on the same team it just glowed red.

"Hey, what was that for?" Charlie-Ray asked.

"I needed to be sure you weren't Charlie, and besides, you and Nora are supposed to be scoping out the hallway."

"We were but then…"

Sara stopped paying attention as Charlie spun a tale, knowing the outcome. The shapeshifter did a very good impression of Ray, and Zari would let down her guard. The second she did, Charlie casually walked on the flag after placing her hands on it she transformed back into Charlie revealing the ruse, and Gideon set the lights back up.

Sara walked over to the parlor and sat in the dark brown leather chair. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; just because they couldn't win at lasers tag didn't mean that they would fail a mission. They just needed a real task.

She opened her tablet and searched through the level three time spikes.

"All right everybody, meet back on the bridge," Sara sighed in disappointment.

The blue team triumphantly approached the bridge with Charlie carrying both of the flags as Zari glared daggers into them and her own team.

"Okay, so how could you have done this differently?" Sara said looking over at Ray, Zari, Nora, and Behrad.

"Haircut's an easy mark," Rory said triumphantly.

"Well this wouldn't have happened if you had stuck to the plan," Zari yelled.

"Plan was stupid," Nora said spinning around to yell back at her. "We have to be on offense, not defense."

Soon enough they all dissolved into arguments and Sara rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. At a time when she needed them to get along, all they seemed able to do was fight.

Once things got particularly nasty, Sara put two fingers in her mouth and whistled, catching all of their attention. "Okay, why don't we all take a break."

Sara knew that they all had the capacity to do this together, and she could see that Zari was ready to take over if they could just stop bickering for five minutes. Sara got up from her seat and pulled out the keys for the Jump Ship. She knew that there was one person she could count on that could run this team as well as she did.

"Hey, where are you going?" Charlie asked.

"2020. I'll be back later," Sara said.

After sending Jax a quick text she arrived in his neighborhood a few minutes later. She disguised the jump ship as a car and parked it on the street before walking up to his front door.

She didn't have to wait long for him to swing open the door and greet her, with Martina in his arms, each of them wearing matching smiles.

"Hey," he said as they both reached out for her and pulled her in for a hug.

"Hey, it's good to see you," Sara said, hugging them both in return.

Martina smiled and cooed at her when they pulled back and Sara reached out to tickle her tummy, causing the seven month old to break out into sweet little giggles. It has been an honor to be able to watch Martina grow and be a part of her life. Sara couldn't believe that she was now going to have a baby of her own.

"Come in," Jax said, turning away and leading her into the living room. He plopped Martina down on the floor and sat down on the couch, patting the spot next to him for Sara to sit. "So how's the pregnant life treating you?"

Sara laughed, having told him about her pregnancy soon after she told the other Legends. He and Karen were over the moon for her and Ava, and had promised to take them out to celebrate that weekend.

"It's been good. I've gotten a bit of heartburn lately, but it hasn't been too bad."

"That's good," He said, with a big smile. "I'm really happy for you, Sara."

"And not just because you now have someone to call at 4 a.m. when Martina keeps you up?" Sara asked, having been on the receiving end of several phone calls in the past, which worked well with the Legends tricky schedule.

"It's one of the benefits," Jax said, smiling at her. "But you didn't come here to talk about baby stuff, did you?"

Sara sighed and looked over at Martina as she played with a few of the blocks. "It's the Legends. They just can't seem to work together. I kept doing missions and stuff, trying to get them to work together, but they kept fighting. Like, this afternoon with laser tag, but it's just so difficult, they couldn't stop arguing, and I couldn't stop them since I'm technically not supposed to be there, and it was just so frustrating."

"Yeah, I remember how it was after we lost Rip and none of us seemed to be going in the same direction until you stepped up and started giving us orders. You've always been a leader Sara, and it's going to be an adjustment for everyone once you're gone."

"That's kind of the reason why I'm here," Sara said, with a shy smile. "When I do have the baby, I want someone there that I can trust to help the team take care of time, and I was hoping that would be you?"

"I don't know Sara," Jack said looking over at Martina. "What about Zari? I thought you said you could rely on her to help the team in your absence."

"She's still thinking about it and if she doesn't want to do it, I'd just be more comfortable having you there. You've done it before and I know you can do it again."

"But I got you killed," Jax said, looking down at his hands.

"No, Rip killed me. You sent Ray into the ducts to restart the Waverider and that ended up saving me. You fought Rip off by yourself and you saved America, Christmas and me." Sara smiled as she looked over at Martina. She reached out to the little girl and let her grab onto one of her fingers smiled at her. "Did you hear that Martina, your Daddy's a hero."

Martina squealed as Sara picked her up and bounced Martina on her knee, leading to more squeals and giggles from them both.

"Just think about it please," Sara said, looking back over at him. "I know it means a lot with Martina and getting a sitter, and I'm not asking for an everyday thing, just maybe helping out for a few hours on the tougher missions."

"What about the other half of Firestorm?"

"I have already talked to Lily and she's on board with it. Her work at Star Labs is completely flexible, and with Ronnie starting preschool, she's agreed to help out for as much time as you are."

"I'll think about it," Jax said, looking at Martina in Sara's lap.

"Thank you," Sara said, leaning in to hug him. "I really appreciate it."

* * *

March 14th, 2020. Week Seventeen.

Ava portaled into the living room of their home and double checked her watch to make sure she had gotten the time right. She was supposed to meet Sara there at two so they could go to her appointment over at Miranda's clinic. Ava meant to make it by the time that they had already been forced to reschedule due to the Waverider getting stuck in LA's mud pits last week in 204 BC.

"Sara?" Ava called up the stairwell, having not seen Sara in the kitchen or living room.

"I'm up here," Sara called down.

Ava stepped down the hall to see the door to their bedroom open just a crack, and she gently pushed it open.

"Wait, close your eyes!" Sara said.

"What's going on?" Ava asked, closing them. She had barely peeked into the room and had only got a glimpse of Sara, who was topless, a sight she had seen dozens of times before, yet she gave Sara the privacy she requested.

Sara ran over and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the room. "I have a surprise for you."

Ava smiled as Sara led her a few steps into the room, before they stopped and Sara pressed her back against Ava. Ava's hands wrapped around Sara's middle and Sara placed them on her stomach. Ava knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, until she felt it. The small but ever present bump expanding from Sara's waist, it was so small that it fit in one of her hands. The intense excitement Ava had felt over the past few months swelled in her heart as she gave Sara a gentle squeeze and placed her head on Sara's shoulder.

"Okay, open them," Sara whispered. Ava opened her eyes to see that they were standing parallel to the mirror and Ava removed one of her hands to see the little bump. "I sort of noticed it this morning, but it's become a bit more prominent over the past few hours, probably because I've been standing and such," Sara said, placing her hand over Ava's.

Ava hummed in contentment as she caught Sara's eyes in the mirror, remembering the sweatpants she had put on that morning. "I guess this means we have to get you some maternity clothes."

"Yeah, I thought I could borrow some of your stuff," Sara said, looking over to the pile of Ava's clothing that was in a heap on the bed, and Ava looked down at Sara's pant leg, which was rolled up several times on one foot while the other had completely disappeared into the pants. The pants were unbuttoned, yet snug on Sara's hips. "But apparently not; I can't fit into your pants or shirts."

"Come on," Ava said, pulling Sara away from the mirror. "We can go over to the fabrication room on the way there and get you some new pants, shirts, and bras before heading to the appointment."

Sara let Ava pull her through the portal into the fabrication room, still topless. Sara went over to the wall and pulled up the patterns for her favorite articles of clothing. Ava took the opportunity to take Sara in. Apart from her belly, Sara had gained some weight in her hips, thighs, and chest, the latter of which had Ava's full attention. Sara's areolas were darker, and both her areolas and her nipples were bigger.

Having finished programming the fabricator for her desired clothing, Sara turned to look at Ava. When she caught Ava's line of sight, Sara laughed and sent her a sultry smile. "Sorry, Miss. Sharpe, but you'll have to wait till after our appointment."

"Oh I'm sure we could make time," Ava said, her eyes glued to Sara's chest.

Sara laughed again, the sound filling Ava's heart and the room, as Sara threw a t-shirt at her, and Gideon was nice enough to fabricate a bra that Sara quickly grabbed. The bra Gideon made was soft and easily adjustable, and the jeans had an elastic waist that would stretch as Sara got bigger and added material to go over Sara's bump. Ava handed her the gray loose t-shirt that hung off of her and hid her belly.

Once she was dressed, Sara grabbed Ava's hand and opened a portal into the parking lot. "Come on hot stuff, let's go check up on this baby before we try and make another one."

"Sara, you know you can't get pregnant until after we have this baby," Ava said, knowing how terrible the public school's sex and reproduction education was. However, Sara only laughed and walked into the clinic. "Sara? Sara!"

Ava opened the portal, back home this time after the appointment, and sent out a quick text to Rip and the rest of the Legends, letting them know that they would be unavailable for the rest of the night, as they had one exciting thing to consider.

"I think we should do it," Sara said, spinning around with a large smile on her face.

"I don't know," Ava said, wary of the prospect. "It's not like it really matters until they're older and it doesn't change anything."

"Yes, but it's just exciting," Sara said, vibrating with excitement. "Just thinking about it as us getting to know our kid better."

"Gender doesn't dictate personality."

"Yes, but it does influence other things, like perception and influence, what if we get a pediatrician that is super sexist and just assumes that our baby is tough because they're a boy or fragile because they're a girl?"

Ava crossed her arms and settled into her chair in the living room. "That's not exactly the best reason to find out the gender."

"I know," Sara said, her excitement fading to a general happiness as she walked over to Ava, dropping into her lap. "I'm just so excited, please Ava, I gotta know!"

Ava can't help the smile that spread across her face. Sara's excitement was contagious and she pulled her in for a squeeze. "Okay, but this can't influence any of our baby clothes. I wanna stick to the gender neutral stuff."

"Okay, but what if there's this really cute suit or this really fluffy dress and I mean come on, who doesn't like suits, and the fluffy dresses were just made for those cute embarrassing photos. You are not gonna be able to stop me from buying both dinosaur and unicorn clothing," Sara said, wiggling her finger at Ava for dramatic effect.

Ava rolled her eyes, but she did have to admit that there were some very cute onesies out there. "I just wish everything wasn't so gendered. I mean they're a baby, they don't care."

"Yes well, you can write your paper on the downsides of gendered clothing later, for now just please tell me we can figure out the gender of our baby?" Sara said, sticking out her bottom lip, knowing full well that Ava couldn't resist her pout.

Ava hesitated, if to tease her more than anything else, and pretended to deeply consider it as she looked away from Sara, brought her eyebrows together, and placed a hand on her chin.

"Ava," Sara whinnied, swatting her arm.

"Okay," Ava relented. "I suppose we could find out the gender at the 20 weeks scan.."

"Yes!" Sara said, literally wiggling with excitement in Ava's lap, almost sliding off if Ava hadn't had her arms securely around Sara's waist. "I'm so excited to see our baby girl!"

"You don't know that it's a girl."

"Yes, I do! It's a mother's intuition," Sara said, straightening up a little bit and pretending to be very serious.

"Uh huh," Ava said, leaning in. Sara kept her serious face until Ava kissed her neck and Sara broke, smiled down at her, leaning in to pepper kisses around Ava's face.

"I love you, Ava Sharpe," Sara said, leaning in to kiss Ava's lips. "Even if you only dress our kid in yellow."

"It's a nice and sensible color that looks good on everybody."

"It doesn't, but I'm gonna let you believe that," Sara said with a laugh at Ava's pout and leaned in to kiss it away.

Ava melted into her lips and smiled against her kiss, leaning in and pulling her arms around Sara's shoulder to pull her in further. They both relaxed into the chair and Sara leaned her head on Ava's shoulder.

Sara played with the engagement ring on her finger and smiled, until she suddenly froze in place, putting both of her hands on her belly. It had been happening a few times over the past few days, but Sara had been sure it was just gas or her imagination, but this time it was a little stronger and definitely not gas.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Ava asked, sitting up and putting both of her hands over Sara's.

Sara's face remained still for another moment until she felt it again. That light fluttering inside her that she was sure was their baby moving around. She looked over at Ava with a huge smile, her eyes sparkling. "I think I just felt the baby move."

"You did?" Ava said, holding her hand on Sara's belly as well.

"I feel it again," Sara said, letting out a laugh. She reached up to hold Ava's face as she gave her a quick kiss, before putting both of her hands back on her belly. Sara couldn't help but laugh again, as she felt the ever present fluttering inside her.

Sara rested against her chest, and Ava brushed her hair away from her face and let her hands rest on Sara's baby bump that was so wonderful. It was late afternoon and still light out, but the early winter sunset had started, sending warm light in through the windows. Ava thinks about their child doing acrobatic feats inside Sara, knowing that each day they grew bigger and stronger.

"Hey Ava?" Sara asked, pulling her out of her head with a tug on her shirt.

"Yeah?" Ava looked down at her as Sara looked away from her, and down as she fiddled with the buttons on Ava's shirt.

"I like the name Laurel, like Dinah Laurel. That doesn't have to be the name we pick, but I'd like to put it on the list."

Ava leaned in and kissed Sara's forehead. When she pulled back, Sara looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "I would love to do that, and I think we should use Quentin for a boy, at least as a middle name."

Sara smiled with wet eyes. "I'd like that."

Sara leaned in and nuzzled her neck. She felt a few tears fall, and Ava hugged Sara closer to her.

March 21st, 2020. Week Eighteen.

Ava carried the last of her file boxes through the open portal and into her office. "That's the last of it."

"Got it," Gary said cheerfully, as he sorted through the other boxes she had brought over.

Ava looked around the small office, all that was left was her desk and chair, which she had posted on one of those garage sale websites a few minutes before. Soon enough it would be empty and ready for a fresh coat of paint and new furniture. Even though it was still early in the pregnancy, Ava wanted to get a jump on the nursery and get everything settled, so they could relax and enjoy themselves leading up to the birth.

Sara came into the room holding a number of paint swatches and held one up to the empty wall next to the window. "What do you think?"

Ava barely processed what Sara was asking her as the sight of Sara in a tight green shirt that outlined her new little belly. It made Ava smile and gaze over at her.

"Aww Captain Lance, you're little belly is so cute," Gary said, stepping into the room to get a better look.

"It's not that cute." Sara said, placing a hand on her stomach that was now more rounded and went from under her ribs to her waist. "it just looks like I've had too much to eat."

"You look perfect," Ava said, knowing she still had a love-struck look across her face.

"May I?" Gary asked, reaching forward with his hand.

Ava saw Sara's look of hesitancy and distress and grabbed Gary's hand, pushing it down. "Not now Gary."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at work Director Sharpe," Gary said unfazed, and he waved goodbye as he closed the portal behind him.

"I'm just not really comfortable with anyone else touching me. I mean with you it's different, you're my fiance and the baby's other Mama." Sara said, looking down and caressing her belly.

"You don't have to explain it to me," Ava said.

"I know, but it's just not like there's anything they can feel yet," Sara said, looking back up at her.

"It should be pretty soon now," Ava said, smiling at the thought.

"Yeah, I can't wait," Sara said, an excited smile spreading across her face.

Ava leaned in and kissed her, just as excited. When they parted, Ava grabbed the swatches for the wall. "Come on Captain Lance, we've got to decide on a wall color before the crib arrives."

"How's this one?" Ava said holding up an ash green to the wall.

"I don't know, I don't want it to be so dark," Sara said, holding up a more chartreuse green.

"And I would rather not blind our baby with such a bright color."

"It's not that bad," Sara argued.

"Oh really?" Ava asked, holding it up closer to Sara's face.

"Okay, I see. It is a bit much, what about this one?" Sara asked, holding up an olive green.

"Yeah, I like that one," Ava said.

They were finally able to narrow it down to either an olive or a sage green and decided to do a square of each on the wall before deciding on which one they preferred. So they headed out to the paint store and got a pint of each before heading back home.

"Hey Sara?" Ava said as they stopped at a red light a few blocks away from home.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to hyphenate our last names. I want the baby to have your last name Lance, and I'd like to take your name when we get married." Ava didn't have time to register Sara's expression as the light turned green and she proceeded forward. Sara remained quiet for the next few blocks as they traveled.

"But Ava, what about your name, our baby should have a piece of both of us."

"And they will," Ava said, looking over at her, to let Sara know that she was sure. "But that doesn't have to be in the form of a name. My last name was picked at random and it doesn't mean anything to me, but your name has such a rich history. You have such an amazing family and I want to honor that, I want to honor you."

Sara was quiet for the rest of the ride as she thought it over. As Ava parked in the driveway she finally spoke. "Okay, but I'd like them to have part of your name if it's a girl, which it is, I want her middle name to be Ava, even if Dinah Laurel Ava Lance is a mouthful. It might work better if it's for a boy. We can do A. Lance, and pick a name that starts with an A."

"I've always liked the name Avery," Ava said, as Sara leaned over and squeezed her hand.

"Quentin Avery Lance," Sara said, trying it out on her tongue. "It does sound nice."

"Just nice?" Ava asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know," Sara said with a sigh. "I'm just not sold on it, it doesn't feel right."

"Okay," Ava said, stepping out of the car and walking around to open Sara's door. "What about Lawrence?"

The name was from one of Ava's favorite books, Little Women, and she could just see a little Lawrence running around, with Sara's mischievous eyes, and her warmth and kindness. However, Sara didn't share her sentiment for the name.

"Only as a middle name!" Sara insisted, taking Ava's hand as she helped Sara out.

"It's not that bad," Ava insisted, as she grabbed the pints of paint from the back. "I think it would make a great first name."

"Yeah, but do you know what the nickname for Lawrence is?" Sara said as she unlocked the door having stolen the keys for Ava's pocket. "Laurie. We can't have a Laurie and a Laurel."

"Wait you want more than one kid?" Ava asked, pausing on the stoop to look over at Sara.

"Well yeah, I mean It's kinda hard to think about having another one right now," Sara said, looking down at her belly and smiling. "And God knows this hasn't been easy, but I'd like to have at least two. I want them to have a sibling. Whether that means I get pregnant again, with is not happening until this one is at least a year old, or maybe we could adopt?"

Ava had always been partial to adoption, in a way she felt like an orphan with fake parents and when she used to think about starting a family with Sara she had dreamed of adopting a child with her. Especially after watching Alex and Kelly adopt two wonderful kids.

"I'd like that too, but for now and for this little one, I think we should still consider it. I really like it, it's from Little Women and you know how much I adore that book," Ava said, stepping inside with the paint, as they went straight up to the nursery.

"I'll think about it," Sara said, as she followed Ava at a slower pace.

Now that the baby was getting bigger, they were forcing Sara's organs up and pressing against her lungs, meaning that even the daily walk up the stairs was literally, a little more breathtaking.

"Okay, what about Nolan or Cassidy?"

"Why Nolan?"

"I don't know. I just think that sounds nice."

"It sounds too posh," Sara said, making a face.

"Too posh?" Ava asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, come along Nolan let's go summer in the Hamptons," Sara said, with a bad upper east side accent and a wave of her hand. "Come on Ava, don't you get that vibe from it?"

"What's wrong with that kind of vibe?"

"Everything!"

Ava set the paint on the table and grabbed an old bed sheet, laying it down. "Well, why don't we decide on a paint color, and then we can decide on a name."

"Sounds good to me," Sara said, grabbing the paint brushes and other tools for her.

"All right, go on then," Ava said, shooting her out of the room. "I'll call you back up once the paint dries."

"In the meantime, I'm going to start an official list," Sara said, walking out the door.

"I want to see Lawrence on there!" Ava yelled to her down the hall.

"Fine!" Sara yelled back, but Ava could hear her smile.

* * *

April 8th, 2020. Week Twenty.

The sight of the emergency lights on the Waverider sent Ava into a panic, as she stepped onto the bridge where she was supposed to meet Sara for their appointment. "Gideon?"

After receiving no answer from the A.I., Ava proceeded with caution into the hall, before she heard Sara shouting and raced towards the engine room.

She stormed in and was relieved to see Zari, Behrad, and Ray working on the engine, and the rest of the Legend standing about looking shameful as Sara gave them the lecture of a lifetime.

"How could you guys be so stupid, you put not only your own lives but the lives of all those civilians at risk!" Sara yelled, pacing back and forth in front of them. "You can't all go running off at the same time, you have to coordinate your efforts and actually talk to each other and agree on ONE plan!"

Sara paused to send them a look meant to put them six feet under, and as Ava looked around as they all hung their heads, she saw it had the desired effect.

"I was just trying to get those guys to stop coming after us," Charlie said, defending their actions from where they were resting over the back of one of the chairs.

"We should have proceeded with caution and slipped away into the crowd, that would have been our best course of action," Ray said, looking up from the wires he was fixing.

"It doesn't matter which play was the best option, you should have communicated to each other what was going on and worked together towards, and I'll say it again, one plan that kept everyone safe."

"Well, we would have had just one plan if those two," Zari said, pointing towards Ray and Behrad, "Would have just listened to me."

"And who put you in charge?" Behrad asked, crossing his arms and turning around from his place in the Captain's chair, fixing the dashboard.

"Enough!" Sara shouted.

Ava carefully walked over to her after catching her eye, and put an arm around her waist. Sara sighed and rubbed her forehead, leaning into Ava and burying her face into Ava's shoulder.

"Ava and I have an appointment. I'll be back later and I want Gideon up and running before we get back."

"Oh, are you finding out the gender?" Mona asked, perking her head up and smiling as wide as she could.

"It's definitely a boy, isn't it?" Charlie said getting excited as well.

"No it's a girl," Rory said.

It took Ava a moment to catch on to how they were so invested in this. "You guys are gambling on the gender of our baby?"

"No of course not, pet," Constantine said shuffling his cards. "It's just a little friendly betting pool."

"There's one for your due date too," Mona said, then immediately put her hand over her mouth. and mumbled out, "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Well, the ultrasound is not till tomorrow, so you'll have to wait," Ava said, adopting a neutral face that neither approved nor condoned their inappropriate gambling. "We'll be back in a few hours."

"And this place better be sparkling," Sara said, as they all looked down and slowly nodded.

Sara leaned into Ava and put a hand on her chest, as Ava gave her a gentle squeeze as they walked back to her room to fetch her jacket.

"Should I be worried about them?" Ava asked, placing her hand on Sara's belly.

"No, they each only put a 10 in, so they're not losing any real money and they don't usually do this kind of thing."

"You knew about it?"

"Well someone's got to be in charge of the pot," Sara said, with a sly smile.

Ava just shook her head as Sara laughed. "Personally I think Mona's going to win for the due date bet, she picked August 19th."

"And I'm sure that has nothing to do with your feelings about going past your due date, August 20th," Ava said.

"No, not at all," Sara shook her head.

Ava shook her head and just sighed until she felt something move under her hand in Sara's belly. She stopped and put both hands over the spot as all of her focus turned towards their baby. Sara noticed her change in focus, and placed both of her hands over Ava's.

Ava waited as the seconds drifted by, each one carrying away her hope of feeling it again. Just as she pulled her hands away, Sara quickly grabbed them back, pulling up her shirt and moving them a little to the left. They only had to wait a second before she felt it.

"Did you feel that?" Sara asked, looking up at her.

Ava could only nod as she was overwhelmed with happiness; she was over the moon. She had waited so long to be able to feel them, that finally getting the chance to feel them kick was overwhelming.

"Aves," Sara said, cupping her face and wiping away a few stray tears that Ava hadn't realized had fallen.

Ava looked up to see Sara smiling, a look of pure joy across her face, and let out a breath along with a smile, as she reached up to brush away her tears.

"I'm just going to blame it on the hormones," Ava said still smiling.

"Yeah," Sara said nodding her head and pulling Ava in for a hug.

They let out a little laugh at the situation, before Ava's phone went off, and they quickly collected their things and headed off to their appointment.

* * *

Ava opened the portal back into their living room after their appointment and guided Sara through, with a hand on her lower back. Their happy mood had been taking away when Miranda had taken Sara's blood pressure, noting how high it was and had put a rush on Sara's urine test noting the swelling in her feet and hands. They were both relieved to find there was no protein indicating kidney damage, but Miranda believed that there was still a risk for preeclampsia and put Sara on a daily dose of aspirin, and after a mental stress test, she advised Sara to take it easy, and reduce the stress in her life. Miranda also wanted to keep a close eye on her, meaning more tests and appointments. Sara dropped down onto the couch putting her face into her hands.

Preeclampsia. The word floated around in her head, it could mean liver and kidney damage. It p them at risk for Placental abruption, seizures; it could mean that they had to deliver before the baby was full term, or worse, it could kill them both.

The thought of having to deliver a preterm baby, and knowing that they would have to be in the hospital, not in her belly, was the worst part. Sara wrapped her arms around her belly as if it could keep them safer. Being pregnant had not been easy, and she had been counting down the days to 40 weeks, but now she would give anything to keep them right where they were.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Ava said sitting down next to Sara and putting her arms around Sara's shoulders. "We just need to relax a little bit and your blood pressure will go down and we'll put your feet up and that'll help the swelling and you'll take your medication and we'll keep an eye on you. Even if you do develop preeclampsia we have the best people on the job taking care of you, Gideon and Miranda are going to make sure you and our baby are healthy."

"She is right Captain," Gideon chimed in, peering from Sara's phone on the table across from them. "We would be able to cure your toxemia, without the need for an early delivery and you could continue on with your pregnancy as planned."

"I just got so scared," Sara said, her voice shaky as she spoke, as she looked up at Ava and saw the tears forming in her eyes.

"I know, I know," Ava said, pulling her into a hug as Sara let out a heavy breath in her arms. "I was scared too. But it's going to be okay. We're going to take some time away from everything and relax, and you and the baby are going to be fine, okay?"

Sara nodded and buried herself into Ava's chest while Ava rubbed her back and pressed her lips to the top of her head. Sara forced herself to relax and take a deep breath, but found herself, out of breath and lightheaded, due to the baby adding to her abdomen and forcing her organs, pressing against her lungs. Ava immediately noticed and mimicked deep and long breaths until Sara was able to calm down.

Once Sara's breathing was back to normal, Ava moved her hands over from Sara's neck to her shoulders, getting them a light squeeze. "Sara, I think it'd be wise if you took some time off. I know things on the Waverider have been really stressful for you."

"Yeah, maybe that would be for the best," Sara said, not quite focusing on Ava's words as she stared down at her hands on her small belly.

"It might also be time for you to take part of your maternity leave. I know how stressful things have been for you and that stress isn't going to go away overnight. I don't want you putting yourself and the baby at risk," Ava said, putting her hands over Sara's.

"What?" Sara said, looking up at Ava. "You want me to quit my job?"

"It's necessary Sara. I just want you to rest at least until the risk for preeclampsia has passed. You know it might be nice if you could work on the nursery and get into some of your other hobbies, I'll take over for you, since Zari and Jax are still hesitant to take up the mantle of Captain."

"You're not taking the Waverider from me!" Sara shouted, standing up and towering over Ava, who is still sitting on the couch.

"Sara that's not what I'm saying. I'm just trying to help you and your team," Ava said, remembering the fight they had had earlier, before they had gotten engaged. "You have to take a break, at least for a little while until your blood pressure is back to normal and Miranda gives you the okay to go back to work. No one else is willing to Captain the Waverider, and I don't want your team under the same stress that you are."

Ava tried to explain, putting her hand down on the seat next to her, asking Sara to join her. "I'm not asking you to give up anything for me or to quit time traveling, I'm worried about you and the baby."

Sara crossed her arms, but thought it over. She shifted from one foot to the other. "I'm not ready to stop now."

"I know, and I'm sorry to push you like this. At least let me help you by going with you on the next Legends mission and helping out you and your team. I know you don't need a babysitter, but would you be willing to accept my help?" Ava said, trying to find a good compromise.

Sara realized that her stress had been spilling over into every aspect of her life, and that needed to change if she wanted to continue with a healthy pregnancy. She nodded and sat back down with her next on the couch. Ava enveloped Sara in her arms, and Sara curled up in her embrace.

"Why don't we watch a movie and order some takeout. We can get your favorite, Chinese?"

"Yeah," Sara said, nodding; she was so exhausted and welcomed the break from everything.

Ava got up and grabbed the takeout menu, before returning to the couch and pulling Sara down, so they were both lying down. She grabbed the remote and pulled up one of Sara's favorite movies 'Swamp Thaaaaang'.

Sara called up the restaurant to order the food, as Ava didn't speak Chinese, and took the opportunity to catch up with the waitress. Once the food was delivered Sara tried to focus on the movie, but she had to sit up a few minutes in as her heartburn flared up. The Chinese food Sara had ordered was spicy and didn't help, so she just ended up munching on plain rice.

Ava seemed to easily get engrossed in the film, but Sara just couldn't seem to get lost in it. She kept thinking about everything Miranda had told her about preeclampsia, despite both Ava and Gideon's assurance that it could be cured, the initial risk to her and the baby's health remained.

Sara looked over at the picture of her Dad and Laurel that sat on the end table next to her. Sara was so grateful for the support Ava gave her Ava was her rock, but Sara also wanted her and sister. She wished she could call Laurel and just talked to her about everything that was going on. They would have loved Ava. But asking for Laurel when she had Ava, Tommy, her dad, and mom felt selfish.

She remembered when she had her first surgery at nineteen to get her wisdom teeth removed. She was suddenly faced with her own mortality, and having written up her will, Sara was frightened at the prospect of dying. Both Laurel and her dad had reassured her everything would go fine. Her dad had taken the day off from work and the family of four had piled into the oral surgeon's office. Her Mom had a calming presence guiding Sara through, Laurel had brought her stuffed shark and promised to keep it safe for her while she was in surgery. Sara didn't want to seem like a baby so she had Laurel walk her back, Laurel gave her a quick hug and kiss on her forehead, promising her that everything would be okay and, even at nineteen, Sara believed her.

Sara loved that Ava tried to assure her, believing that it was enough. Eventually, Sara moved to the other end of the couch, sitting up and leaning against the armrest. The next movie, the sequel, played and Ava sat up and kissed her in a way that made Sara forget her worry. Soon enough Ava fell asleep on the couch next to her, leaving Sara with her thoughts.

She couldn't stop thinking about her Laurel, and how much she missed her. She slipped out of Ava's arms and wrote a quick note, a promise that she'd return, placing it under Ava's pillow where they normally placed notes for each other. Sara grabbed the keys from the table in the hall and locked the door behind her.

The drive felt nice, and Sara focused on something other than her grief, letting the music fill her mind. She hardly ever drove, not since she died, but thanks to Gideon she still had a valid license. There was something about leisurely driving around the city that Sara's always loved. Just taking a break from everything and going somewhere. She drove through the city, taking in the towering buildings and bright lights. The spring evening made the night cold, but there were signs of new leaves on the trees that hung over the back streets that Sara took to the cemetery.

She slowed down as she took the curved road between the graves, before parking as close as she could. It's a small walk up to the meadow where Laurel laid. When her Dad had chosen Laurel's grave, he had deliberately picked a secluded spot, surrounded by trees, but in an open meadow. They had sold her grave to pay for Laurel's, but Sara knew that one day she would need one too.

The open plots that were next to Laurel stayed empty, but she never imagined that she would bury her father there, the memories of the world before Oliver changed it, still lingered in her head. Sara supposed she would need the next three plots next to them. She put a hand on her stomach, feeling her baby alive and well kicking inside of her. Even before their birth, she was planning for their death. It was an inevitability that Sara was always aware of.

She had put a pot of flowers on the grave and filled it with lilies, roses, and daisies. They were the flowers that her dad always bought for them on special occasions, birthdays, Christmas, and Valentine's Days growing up, even if they were no longer single. Their Dad had always wanted them to know that they were loved. Sara looked down at the wilted flowers on Laurel's headstones. She hadn't stopped to get any, and she regretted that now as she collected the dead flowers that crumble in her hands.

"I'm sorry," Sara whispered to her. "I promise to stop by and replant some soon. I'm sure you know why I haven't been by to visit. Ava and I are having a baby."

Sara rubbed her stomach and wished that Laurel could feel her baby kick. Laurel would have been over the moon, and would have started stopping by more often to check in on her. Between Ava, her Dad and Laurel, there would always be someone's hand on her belly, and once the baby was born there would always be someone to hold them.

Her sister would have insisted she stay with them for a few days and help them figure everything out, her dad would have helped Ava build the crib and she knew they would paint the walls and try to get it set up to surprise her. Laurel would have been there when she went into labor, would have stayed with her through delivery. She would have held Sara's other hand and whispered words of encouragement. She would have been their baby's aunt and godmother and the third person to hold them.

Sara would have wanted Laurel with her in the delivery room, and she would have cried when she first held the baby, and whispered how beautiful they were, and how proud she was of Sara. She would have been the best auntie in the world, always willing to babysit and show them what it looked like to have strong women in their life. All of these could have been and should have been swirled around in Sara's mind, causing her to sob into her hands in front of the grave.

The tears wouldn't stop, they fell like a waterfall from her eyes, and Sara hugged herself, trying to sway the grief that felt as big as a mountain.

"Sara?" Someone called out behind her and at first, she thought it was Ava, but she can barely hear them through her wailing.

Instead, it was the other Laurel who wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her in. She had never been Sara's Laurel and she had never tried to be, but Sara loved her like a sister, and having her here now swayed her tears and brought comfort to her.

"Here," Laurel said, putting something soft in Sara's arms.

Sara felt the fuzzy fabric and breathed in its scent, she instantly recognized the soft plushie and held it closer.

"Sharkey," Sara said in disbelief, burying her face in the soft material. Laurel smiled, apparently, this Sara didn't name it either.

The plushie had brought her so much comfort to her as a child, and one of the first things she had done was to go to the aquarium and buy one for her child.

"How did you get this?" Sara asked looking over at Laurel.

"I found it in Quentin's apartment while we were going through Laurel's stuff after I took on her identity for a bit. It was in one of Laurel's boxes that she must have kept."

"I can't believe they kept it all these years."

"Of course they kept it. You couldn't sleep without it," Laurel said, but bit her lip realizing she had given too much away.

Sara gave her a sad smile as Laurel sat down next to her, with a kind and loving expression. Sara was a bit taken aback at that. No one had looked at her like that in a long time. She had forgotten what it meant to have a sister who loved her, to have anyone who loved her unconditionally. This was her only chance at getting her sister back and she grabbed it with both hands.

"How did you know it was mine?" Sara asked.

"Well, none of the other stuff in the box was Laurel's and I never had one as a kid so I figured your Laurel didn't either, so it had to be yours," Laurel lied, Sara looked as if she didn't quite believe her, but relaxed back into their embrace. The quiet fell upon them in a stilling silence.

"You had a sister too," Sara said. She had always wondered if there was a Sara on earth two.

"Yes, she was a lot like you, but she had a normal life. She was a doctor, and she had a wife and a daughter too. She named her daughter Dinah Laurel." As Laurel spoke, she had a far off look in her eyes as she gazed up at the stairs. "At first I was mad because that was my name and my legacy, but now I'm happy she had it. I mean, I don't want kids and I try to be worthy of the name."

"You are, and I'm sure your sister and niece would have agreed. I was thinking of naming them Laurel too," Sara said holding her stomach.

"I think that would be fitting, especially for her," Laurel said, as they both looked over at Laurel's grave.

They sat for a moment, then Laurel looked down at her stomach too. "May I?"

Sara nodded, and Laurel reached out and wearily placed her hand on Sara's belly. Sara smiled and moved her hand to where the baby was kicking.

"It feels like I'm getting a second chance at all this."

"Me too,, and I know we won't mess it up."

"If you ever need anything, I'd be happy to help," Laurel said, looking back up at her.

"I'm hungry, do you want to get something to eat?" Sara asked, with a slight shrug.

"Sure," Laurel said with a smile. "Dinah is making some Matzah ball soup with Dad at our place. She's trying to get the recipe right before Passover tomorrow, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind another taste tester."

"That sounds really good," Sara said, licking her lips at the thought of her Dad and Dinah's cooking.

"You should probably text Ava while I drive us over to Dinah's. I texted her when I found you, but she's been pretty worried."

"Yeah," Sara said, pulling out her phone and sending Ava a quick text saying she was fine and that they were heading over to Dinah and Laurel's apartment, asking her to meet them there.

Ava sent her a quick text once they were on the road, filled with relief and promised to meet her there after picking up the car that Sara had forgotten in the cemetery, but that one, Sara decided, she would just blame on baby brain.

The drive to the apartment was short, and soon enough Laurel was putting the key in the lock and opening the door for her. The warm smell of freshly cooked soup filled the apartment and Sara was greeted with the sight of her Dad sitting at the counter, with Dinah on the other side watching over the soup.

"Hey sweetie," her Dad said, greeting her with a hug. "I was just about to call you and ask if you and Ava wanted to come over."

"That's okay, it's good to see you," Sara said, giving him a tight squeeze, feeling at ease to be in his arms.

When Sara pulled back, her Dad greeted Laurel with the same affectionate name, as Laurel has been fully adopted into the family.

"And how's this little one doing? Not giving you too much trouble I hope?" Quentin said with a teasing smile, as he placed a hand on her belly.

"They've been bouncing around and Ava felt them kick," Sara said as she grabbed his hand and moved it to the left side of her belly to where the baby had been kicking on the drive over.

It took only a second before Sara felt them kick against her stomach. Her Dad's face lit up, and she knew he felt it too. Sara looked up to see him tearing up, and it made her pause. She had rarely seen her Dad cry, much less cry from happiness, and he just held her belly and looked down at her child with such love that Sara felt herself tearing up as well.

"Dad," Sara said, wiping away the tears that had fallen on her cheek. "You're making me cry."

He just looked up at her and leaned in to kiss her forehead, before pulling her in for a hug. "Happy tears are always good."

"Yeah," Sara nodded against his chest.

After they dried their tears, they sat and chatted for a moment, and Dinah offered her a taste of the soup, which was heavenly, as most of her cooking is. They talked about plans for the first night of Passover, until her Dad pulled her away to the guest bedroom so they could talk.

"What's bothering you?" Quentin asked, in a matter of fact kind of tone, and Sara just sighed as she sat down on the bed in the guest bedroom.

"Ava and I had an argument. We had our 20 week appointment today and my blood pressure was a bit high. I'm doing fine and I don't have preeclampsia yet, but my doctor wants to keep an eye on me. Ava took it a step further, and she wanted me to stop working altogether. I understand taking a step back, especially if things get worse, but I don't want to quit just yet. There's no one else to run the ship. The Legends are arguing more than ever, which is the root of the stress, but I know that I can get them to cooperate and get everything in order, but Ava insisted on being there to look over my shoulder and be too overprotective."

Sara took a deep breath and felt the tears collect in her eyes again. "And I miss Laurel. I went to her grave, and I couldn't help but think about how excited they would be for the baby and how involved they would be in our lives, and I just miss her."

"Oh Sara," he said in a loving tone, sitting down next to her and putting her arm around her. "I won't tell you what to do, I'll just tell you this. I know that the baby's health is what's most important to you right now, and I know that feeling of not wanting to put your life on hold. Your never mother didn't want to quit the job that she loved when she got pregnant with your sister, but like you, her blood pressure was high and she had too. If I could have stayed home with your sister I would have."

"Yeah, but she continued with her master's program and you were a cop like you wanted to be, all I have is the Waverider."

"And that's not going to go away Honey, this step back is just temporary. Just take it easy for now, let your team handle the stressful things and see if your health improves, then you can make the decision to go back. In the meantime, you know I'm always here to keep you company, and I set up both yours and Laurel's cribs."

Sara laughed and gave him a look.

"Okay," he said holding up his hands. "Your Mom did, but I read the directions to her."

For as many talents as her father had, handiness wasn't one of them. She remembered her mother teaching her how to fix a broken sink and change a tire as a teenager.

"Speaking of which," Quentin added, going over to one of the boxes he had brought with him.

"Your Mom sent this stuff up from Central City," he said, looking over at the two blue totes boxes. "And I got you some stuff too."

Sara saw the label of 'Sara's baby things' and one marked 'Laurel's things' as well as a new fancy diaper bag full of new clothes, blankets, and other baby things. She opened the bag and pulled out an outfit. Sara smiled; it was so tiny and cute, she held it up imagining her baby in them.

"She figured you wouldn't want too many of your old clothes, but she kept a few of the nicer neutral outfits and shoes along with some toys and blankets. So I just got a few new things, like a few outfits and the bath kit and toys."

"Thank you," Sara said, putting it back and opening the box of her baby things.

I remember you wearing this" Quentin said, pulling out a yellow romper with little flowers on it.

"I think I'll pass on that one."

Quentin chuckled and put it back in the bin, but pulled out something else. "And we thought you might like to look through this."

"My baby book," Sara said, opening the first page. It had a picture of her in her mother's arms in the hospital along with her footprint, full name and birthday. Sara flipped through the pages and picked up one of the muslin blankets, feeling the soft fabric between her fingers. Quentin pulled out a few more baby toys to show Sara, most of them were definitely a product of their era, but they were sturdy, although Sara would definitely check the paint.

Sara looked over at the large bin realizing how much less she would have to buy now, for their baby. "I'll have to call Mom and thank her for all of this and you too, thank you."

"Oh, it's what Grandpas and grandmas are for," Quentin said, with a shrug. "Although I'd prefer Papa if that's okay, Grandpa just sounds like I'm old."

"Dad you are old," Sara said with a chuckle and pulled her dad in for a hug, and Quentin squeezed his daughter tight. One particularly strong kick pushed them apart, as Sara put her hand over her baby.

"Do you want to feel them again?" She offered, seeing him look wistfully down at her belly.

"Yes of course," Quentin said excitedly, as Sara held her Dad's hand to her stomach and they were greeted with another set of joyful kicks.

Quentin laughed and smiled, "They're strong like you."

"Like you too," Sara smiled.

The sound of the doorbell pulled them apart as her Dad started packing away the baby things.

"That's probably Ava," Sara said looking to the door.

"I'll let you two talk."

Sara walked down the hall and passed, Laurel and Dinah, who were laughing and talking over bowls of soup with the front door left unattended as Ava knocked again. Laurel gave her a knowing smile as Sara approached the door. She swung open the door and was greeted with Ava, who let out a sigh of relief and pulled Sara into her arms.

"I was so worried about you, I thought you'd taken off for something," Ava said, holding her close.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to see Laurel."

"It's okay," Ava said, pulling back. "And I'm sorry if I overstepped with the Legends."

"No, it's okay," Sara said, cutting her off. Sara stepped back into the hall with Ava and closed the door behind them. "I do need your help with the Legends; I don't think I really understood what changes needed to be made, and I'd be happy to have you help me make them."

"I know how important this is to you, Sara," Ava said, taking both of her hands and holding them close to her chest. "And I'd like to work something out where you can stay on the Waverider for as long as possible. It's your home, and I don't want to take that from you."

"It is my home, and the legends are my family, but time travel is my job and it will wait for me."

Ava gave her a smile and Sara pulled her in for another hug, relieved to be in Ava's arms. "You're my true home."

"I love you too," Ava said.

They were interrupted as Sara felt a series of strong kicks, as their baby made its presence known. She laughed and brought Ava's hands over to feel the kicks against her hand.

"I love you too, we're going to make a good home for you," Ava said to them.

"We promise," Sara added, leaning over to give Ava a kiss before Ava leaned down to kiss her belly as well, not wanting a baby to feel left out again.

As they walked back into the apartment Dinah and laurel greeting them with hugs and bowls of soup, and Quentin nodded at Ava, who nodded back.

"He called you while Laurel drove us over here didn't he?" Sara said, turning to look between them.

"Now Sara, it's not what you think," Quentin said, holding up a hand.

"Actually I called him. Talking with Quentin actually helped a lot," Ava said, looking back at him with admiration. "He just wanted me to see things from your perspective and when I did, I realized that I shouldn't keep you in a bubble."

Sara looked between them as her dad and Ava looked back at her with affection. All Sara ever wanted was for Ava to be accepted by her family, and knowing that they accepted her and the fact that Ava went to her father for advice made tears once again form in her eyes.

"Aww, you guys are gonna make me cry."

* * *

April 10th, 2020. Week Twenty one.

Sara and Ava both watched in awe as the video of the sonogram displayed their baby on the screen. Their hearts filled with joy and excitement as the babies' legs and arms wiggled around, as if they were dancing for their Moms. Neither of them spoke as they just watched the sonographer, Lynette, take pictures and measurements, they were content to watch their baby.

Lynett moved the wand to face the baby, and both of them sigh in content.

"Are you ready to know the gender?" Lynette asked, as excited as they were.

Sara looked up at Ava as the excitement filled her face, and they both nodded with enthusiasm.

"Okay," Lynette said, moving down to check.

It was hard to tell from the sonogram, and neither Sara nor Ava were experts. Lynette took her time to make sure she got it right, and when she was sure she looked over at them with a smile.

"It's a girl."

"A girl!" Sara all but squealed and nearly cried with excitement, as she squeezed Ava's hand a little too tight.

Ava did cry and brushed away the tears on her cheeks, as she leaned over to wrap her arms around Sara's shoulders and squeeze her. "She's our Laurel."

Sara nodded and let the tears flow as they both looked back at the sonogram. "Hello, Laurel."

* * *

 **AN: Although I already picked out baby Laurel's name and stuff I want to know what you guys think of the other names and what do you think of Ava giving Laurel Sara's last name?**


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